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Statement of Human Rights Center about Biased News Item of Rustavi 2

October 10, 2015
 
Human Rights Center responds to the news item released by the TV-Company Rustavi 2 in its main news program of the day Kurieri on October 9 – “USA put Akhmed Chataev on the list of global terrorists, who was released from Georgian prison in 2012.”

In accordance to the news item, Akhmed Chataev was arrested during the special operation in August 2012 as a terrorist but current government (Georgian Dream) released him from imprisonment. The journalist said several nongovernmental organizations and human rights defenders requested his freedom. Rustavi 2 particularly underlined that Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili, who was head of Human Rights Center in 2012, was among those human rights defenders who requested Chataev’s freedom.

Human Rights Center provided the journalist of Rustavi 2, who worked on the item, with detailed information about the charge brought against Akhmed Chataev when he was arrested. Executive director of the Center told the journalist that Chataev was not member of the group which was detected in Lopota Gorge in August, 2012. Just the opposite, Chataev was an ally of that time senior officials of the MIA, who sent him to the Gorge on August 28 to start negotiations with “boeviks”. However, at that moment the riot police officers deployed in the gorge were ordered to liquidate the armed group and Akhmed Chataev was also wounded during exchange of fire. Despite that he managed to escape and spent 10 days in the forest. Afterwards he personally yielded to border officers, who assigned him to law enforcement bodies. Prosecutor’s office charged him for illegal possession of explosives but Chataev categorically denied possession of any arms because he had not resisted to border officers as he needed medical assistance because of wounded leg.  During investigation, after 2012 elections, the main witnesses of the prosecutor’s office – the border officers admitted that they had made testimonies against Chataev as a result of oppression from MIA; in reality the detainee did not have firearms with him. Prosecutor’s office released Chataev from pre-trial detention because of lack of evidence against him.

The journalist of Rustavi 2 interviewed executive director of Human Rights Center with regard to groundless accusations against Chataev and received written documents to prove it. The journalist knew that Chataev was not accused of terrorism in 2012. Despite that, she insisted answer on the question in the news item: “Why Chataev, accused of terrorism, was released from prison?” The news story finished with similar rhetoric question and subtext that present Public Defender of Georgia and Human Rights Center defended terrorist and supported the new government to free him.

Politically motivated news item of Rustavi 2 met interests of one political party United National Movement, which still continues to justify crimes committed by the former governmental officials, as well as arbitrary imprisonments of thousands people under their authority. Akhmed Chataev was one of those arbitrary detainees and Human Rights Center protested blatant violation of his rights and requested his release.

The fact that recently the USA inserted Akhmed Chataev in the list of terrorists has nothing to do with the illegal charge brought against him in September 2012 and Rustavi 2 and United National Movement are fully aware of it. Otherwise the TV-Company would have mentioned cooperation between Akhmed Chataev and former MIA officials in 2012 as well as the necessity to investigate bloody special operation of Lapankuri. Human Rights Center and Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili have been unsuccessfully requesting investigation into the Lapankuri case for years. 

Human Rights Center 

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