What Is the Connection between the Imprisonment of Luka Ramazashvili and Telavi TV Company

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Human Rights Commission of the Conservative Party granted Luka Ramazashvili, former head of Kakheti regional office of the political party “Entrepreneurs”, with the status of political prisoner. Telavi District Court charged Ramazashvili for robbery, damage of other person’s property, extortion and other crimes. Ramazashvili has been serving his term for four years already. The Human Rights European Court accepted the suit of Ramazashvili. Enri Kobakhidze and his business-partner, director-general of the Company “Kazbegi” Gogi Topadze claim that local authority sent Ramazashvili to prison in order to get hold of the regional TV Company.

Kakheti regional prosecutor’s office arrested Luka Ramazashvili on January 30, 2006; he participated in the Abkhazian War and was decorated with Vakhtang Gorgasali Award. Initially, Ramazashvili was accused for stealing 13 construction plates; but after the owner of the plates Gela Niniashvili appeared to the court and said that nobody had stolen his property, Ramazashvili’s charge was aggravated. Prosecutor’s office blamed him for seizing the property of ethnic Azerbaijan people. In parallel to it, law enforcers arrested Gela Niniashvili too who spent several days in prison.

Telavi district court discussed the criminal case. The lawyer for the Human Rights Center was monitoring the trial within the OSCE Project. The report of the organization states that witnesses stated loudly and clearly they had made testimonies against Ramazashvili as a result of the oppression from the prosecutor’s office.

“Several witnesses stated at the court hearing that investigator made them sign empty sheets of paper. One of the victims Musardin Nabi Oghli showed the testimony to the court which had his signature but he did not know the document at all. Witnesses Ivanhoe Tsikaradze, Besarion Kitidze and Arsen Pavliashvili said they wrote what the investigators were dictating to them. After those statements the witnesses were arrested for false testimonies and imprisonment was imposed on them,” stated the report.

Attorneys of Ramazashvili Shalva Shavgulidze and Aleksi Shoshikelashvili requested the court to find their client innocent and the prosecutor requested nine-year-imprisonment. On October 26 2006 Judge Lia Otarashvili sent Luka Ramazashvili to prison for 8 years.

Gogi Topadze stated before the judgment was announced and still repeats that Luka Ramazashvili was political prisoner of that-time local authority; former local officials now occupy higher positions in the central government.

“Luka Ramazashvili was arrested according to the directions of former Telavi district governor Gocha Mamatsashvili and Kakheti region governor Petre Tsiskarishvili. Mamatsashvili and his team did not like that we opened wood-factory in Telavi district. They wanted to import illegally cut trees abroad,” said Topadze.

Mamatsashvili and Tsiskarishvili categorically denied and still deny the accusations of Topadze. Mamatasashvili currently is deputy minister of environment; Tsiskarishvili is leader of parliamentary majority.

Enri Kobakhidze connects the detention of Luka Ramazashvili with the activities of Telavi TV Company “Tanamgzavri”. Based on the recommendation of Luka Ramazashvili Kobakhidze was appointed to the position of the director of the local TV Company. It happened after an owner of the company Marieta Korinkorova-Grishikashvili asked Ramazashvili to help her in the management of her share in the company.

Enri Kobakhidze: “I occupied the position of the director in the TV Company in 2006. One month later Gocha Mamatsashvili, interim Telavi district governor, invited me to his office and demanded to prepare news-programs of the TV Company in favor of the ruling party. I refused and said that nobody could interfere in the activities of the editorial board. However, we were covering all news. He interrupted and said that they would make the decision themselves since we could not agree.” 
 
Marieta Grishikashvili: “Several days after this meeting they called me and offered to cede my share in the company. They did not explain how I had to do it; though they were ready to purchase it if I sold. I refused.”

Enri Kobakhidze said that after the founder of the TV Company refused the local officials to cede her share they got in touch with Luka Ramazashvili. “Luka told me several times that they had threatened him with huge problems unless we ceded the company,” said Kobakhidze.

Kobakhidze said the relationship between the TV Company and the local authority complicated after they showed the materials of the special operation in Pankisi Gorge though the local officials categorically forbade. During the special operation the policemen killed two people.

“Before we showed the material deputy regional governor Shalva Eristavi called me and asked to block it. The administration of the regional police department demanded the same. But we showed it. Several days later we showed how trees were being cut in the forests illegally and how wood was imported to Turkey. According to the TV-item Gocha Mamatsashvili was guilty in all this illegality,” said Enri Kobakhidze.

Afterwards, based on the request of former director and one of the owners of the TV Company Zurab Kumsiashvili, the TV Company was expelled from the building. Consequently, the board of the TV Station hired a house in Telavi but soon they had to leave it too. Meanwhile Luka Ramazashvili was also arrested and Financial Police started investigation in the TV Company.

Nato Megutnishvili, head of news-room at the “Tanamgzavri”: “The owner of the house called us and said he would return the money we had paid because he was threatened for having rented the house to us. Since we did not have office and studio we could not prepare programs. We stopped the weekly program “Dialogue” which was broadcasted on-live. Journalists of the company were also oppressed; they were not allowed into the buildings of the district administration and municipality board; local officials did not give any comments to them. So, we had to close the daily news-program too.”

On February 1, 2006 law enforcers arrested Enri Kobakhidze, director of the “Tanamgzavri.” Policeman Ucha Iagorashvili from Telavi blamed him for minor hooliganism. According to case materials Kobakhidze cursed in the court-room when the judge announced the verdict and sent Luka Ramazashvili to two-month pretrial detention. Although nobody confirmed the fact except one policeman, the court found him guilty and bailed with 7, 5 GEL.

Enri Kobakhidze said in order to make Marieta Grishikashvili to cede her 40 % share in the TV Company, the negotiations with Luka Ramazashvili was going on even after his detention.

It must be added, that one of the founders of the TV Company “Tanamgzavri” Eldar Grishikashvili (son of Marieta Grishikashvili) was murdered together with his father at home in 1998. This crime is not investigated yet.