Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

Georgian Journalistic Ethics Charter called upon the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia to immediately incident that happened at TIaneti Police Station against journalist Gela Mtivlishvili.

Gela Mtivlishvili is currently at Tianeti Hospital, feels himself very weak and is taking medical treatment.  According to him, in the morning of 20 May Mtivlishvili was photographing the Tianeti Police Station building when policemen detained him, seized the camera and beat him up.

Head of the Department of Analytics of Georgian Interior Ministry Shota Utiashvili said that Gela Mtishvili was not detained and was not beaten by policemen.  Police just tried to determine his identity, as Mtivlishvili was acting provocatively.

“It was a clear provocation:  he did not reveal his identity to the policemen and when policemen took him inside the Police Station for finding out his identity he did not leave the building until they dragged him out.  Policemen did not beat him up, they did not even touch him; they did not seize his equipment and did not erase the footage,” Utiashvili told media.ge.

Statement of the Charter of Journalistic Ethics reads that Shota Utiashvili’s comment demonstrates irresponsible attitude of the MIA towards the fact.

“Ignoring facts of violence against journalists by the MIA has become an incentive for further violence against journalists; today’s incident is the result of this ignorance also, so the Ministry of Internal Affairs must fully take responsibility for the given incident,” statement by the Charter reads.