Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

On August 18 President Mikheil Saakashvili visited two villages, Shukuta and Chibat, in Lanchkuti district. Local journalists were unable to record this meeting.

Lali Imedashvili head of Guria News bureau in Lanchkuti said to Humanrights.ge that Saakashvili met people in the yard of a public school in Shukuti. They did not allow me to enter with a photo camera but I managed to enter the meeting with a recorder so I could record the president’s speech. My operator, Nodar Minadze, was standing away from the perimeter in front of an administrative building of Shukuti and was recording. As Nodar said, they hindered him from taking video.

Nodar Minadze: “I was standing in front of the Shukuti administration building on an elevated place and taking a video. During this time a person dressed as a citizen came to me and dragged me from the elevated place. He said that taking videos was forbidden for me. I did not follow him. He said that I was out of mind and tried to grab my camera. He took me to the school yard and grabbed my camera. I asked him not to take my camera and in return for deleting video I took. He watched me delete the video. Then he left me alone.

According to Humanrights.ge, Natia Bandzeladze contacted Guria News and informed them that president’s press service did not hinder them. Lali Imedashvili says that President’s security also contacted them and promised to recover the memory card.

Several days ago Humanrights.ge wrote how an Info-9 journalist from Lanchkuti was hindered while doing his professional work. Zurab Kvirkvelia, husband of Nato Nucubidze who is a secretary of governor Davit Chavleishvili, physically touched him resulting in an injury. By recent information, Zurab Kvirkvelia was arrested for 20 days via administrative code.