Courts in Adjara Do Not Have Speakers and Public Information Is Unavailable for Media

Maka Malakmadze, Adjara

Media representatives cannot get public information and comments from the Batumi City Court because Ajara based courts do not have speakers.

“In order to obtain the requested information, we should mobilize the principle administrative resource and it will paralyze the Court’s activities,” it is an extract from the judgment passed by Temur Gogokhia, chairman of the Batumi City Court. The case was about the journalist of the TV25 Natia Rokva who requested the Batumi City Court to satisfy her administrative suit on the release of public information.

Natia Rokva, journalist of the TV25: “It has become difficult to obtain public information from the Batumi City Court. The reason is lack of time and sometimes even lack of human resources. I think, the judgment on my administrative suit was groundless and with it the Judge encouraged other administrative bodies not to release public information for similar reasons.”

The journalist requested various statistic data from the Batumi City Court regarding non-guilty, life-penalty judgments and plea-agreements.

Eter Turadze, editor of the newspaper “Batumelebi”: “In accordance to the Administrative Code we requested the judgments on the accused for the so-called Envery Case. Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs spread video-recordings of the detainees’ confession statements, the person responsible for the release of public information at the Batumi City Court replied to us it was Top Secret case and could not satisfy our request. We appealed their reply with the head of administration and now we are waiting for his reply. It is very bad that we have already got used with the situation when the Court does not release information. Moreover, I petitioned to the Judge Vera Dolidze three times to allow me to audio-record the trial but she did not reply to my request. Finally I called the assistant to the judge and she refused me to audio-record the hearing without any explanation. The judges have superficial attitude towards media. So, the media shall launch a campaign against their behavior.”

Despite the judicial reform in the country, the Batumi City Court (where the office of the Kobuleti district magister judge is also located) and Khelvachauri district court (with magister judges of Keda, Shuakhevi and Khulo districts) do not have speakers.

The Human Rights Center got in touch with the Head of the Batumi City Court’s administration Iveri Abashidze to clarify the situation but the latter refused us to make comments and asked in surprise: “Do I have anything to do with it?”