Photo-Reporters Accused of Espionage Appeal to Prosecutor’s Office

Photo-reporters accused of espionage Natia Gedenidze, Irakli Gedenidze, Giorgi Abdaladze and Zurab Kurtsikidze will appeal to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia on 18 February.  They request repeated investigation into the case and lifting of the “Top Secret” status from the case.

“We are those photo-reporters who have been completely unfairly doomed by previous government and accused of illegal actions under the Article 314 of the Georgian Criminal Code (espionage.)  Despite our desire we have not been given a chance to prove our innocence.  Today is the time for justice to win,” the 10-page statement reads which the photo-reporters are going to submit to the Prosecutor’s Office.  In the same statement they describe how they were arrested and intimidated.

“Our request is to clear what really happened; we want the real initiators of the case to be punished,” Giorgi Abdaladze told media.ge.
Four photo-reporters very well known in journalistic society – Irakli Gedenidze (worked for President’s Administration), his wife, Prime Time newspaper photographer Natia Gedenidze, representative of EPA photo-agency in Georgia Zurab Kurtsikidze and Alia Holding photo-reporter Giorgi Abdaladze were detained by the Counterintelligence Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the morning of 9 July 2011.  They were accused of espionage.  Attorneys of the accused did not reveal details of the case due to the Top Secret status of the case.  Society could not see justification of the status of the case. 

 Journalists held protest actions requesting publicity of the case.

Several days later, the accused unexpectedly pleaded guilty and were freed based on plea agreement.  Several months ago all of them stated that they pleaded guilty only for avoiding prison.  Photographers’ Case is still obscure for the public.

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