Gori Municipality spokeswoman and other employees of the Press Service Center left their job. Former spokeswoman Sofiko Rezrichenko stated that it was difficult to PR the government.
Sofiko Rezrichenko: “The government does not react on public problems. Public officials do not pay attention to the needs of population. Thus, the journalists decided not to support the government that is concerned only about its PR. We do not want to serve National Movement any longer.
Sofiko Rezrichenko said the names of those journalists who shared her idea and resigned from their positions in Press Service Center and the newspaper issued by the Administrative Board. They are as Rezrichenko claimed: Eka Okropiridze, Lika Baliashvili, Keti Narimanidze and Irma Buziashvili. It is noteworthy that Lika Baliashvili and Keti Narimanidze categorically denied the information of former spokeswoman.
Keti Narimanidze, current spokeswoman of the Administrative Board: “I still work as a spokeswoman in the board. I have not agreed my resignation with Rezrichenko. Why did she need to mention my name I do not know? By the way I am going to start working in Tao-Bank and maybe I will resign from my current position but if I do I will write my personal resignation. The public officials offered me to stay at the office until I go to the bank.”
Lika Baliashvili, a specialist at the Press Service Center of the Administrative Board: “I was surprised when my name was mentioned among former employees of the center. I have not resigned and I am not going to do it either. I had only business relationship with Rezrichenko. I have not discussed other affairs with her.”
“They realized that could not work and decided to quit. We have not reduced the personnel when we came into the office. It was enough to detain those people who were arrested. We advised the heads of various departments to take their responsibilities but who could not manage it properly decided to leave the job,” said Zviad Khmaladze, the chairman of the Municipality.
Sofiko Rezrichenko started her career in TV Company “Trialeti” in 2001. Initially she was a journalist then she was appointed as a head of the Information Service. Rezrichenko left the TV Company after the owner of the company, Badri Nanetashvili, opposed Mikheil Kareli, former regional gubernator. Nanetashvili blamed the gubernator for persuading the journalists to move to his office. Consequently, Rezrichenko and several other journalists started to work at the Administrative Board.
Human Rights Center’s Gori office got in touch with all those journalists who were most active in Gori, revealed political events and asked them to make some estimations about the activities of the Municipality and the Press Service Center of the Administrative Board.
Goga Aftsiauri, Gori office of the Radio “Tavisufleba”: “It seems strange for me that these people made similar statements a day before November 2. I doubt about their sincerity. As far as it is known, they worked in the Press Service Center during Mikheil Kareli and Marlen Nadiradze (former district governor) were in the office. Although on September 12 these public officials were arrested, the new government did not fire the journalists from the administrative board; just the opposite they went on their activities; though in fact did nothing but drinking coffee there. The journalists of the press service center never mediated between the authority and population.”
Izo Chubinidze, Gori correspondent for the Rustavi 2: “I managed to talk with Rezrichenko over the phone only once. It happened when journalist for the TV Company “Trialeti” blamed the chairman of the Municipality for threatening and revenging him. At that time, Rezrichenko called me and said Marlen Nadiradze was not going to make comments on the statements of sick people. It was the first and last occasion I talked with her. I do not remember she ever assisted me to get any information.”
Ia Tinikashvili, Gori office of the TV Company “Imedi”: “I have never seen any problem resolved by the. They always told us that they could not call and ask the public officials for comments. In order to get some informaiton from high ranking officials I had to call them personally.”
Nino Fisadze, Gori office of the Public Broadcaster: “I am concerned only about one fact that they called themselves journalists when they worked at the Press Service Center of the Administrative Board. It was ordinary public service. It is strange to expose oneself in this way. As for our cooperation with them, I remember only members of the Municipality to get in touch with us to invite us to the meetings but I never remember the Press Service Center ever did the same. If we needed the comments from district governor or the municipality chairman we called them personally.”
Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori
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