“Former Political Prisoners” Express Solidarity to TV Company “Kavkasia”

“Former Political Prisoners” Express Solidarity to TV Company “Kavkasia”

Tbilisi. 18.08.04. Media News. “Since coming into power the new government of Georgia has been trying to restrict or even eliminate the working possibility of the independent media (that are not acceptable ones)”,-says the statement of the NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights” spread on August 18.

The members of the organization think that the government uses different methods for the restriction and pressure on media through “chasing on journalists, blackmailing and menacing the editors and media holders, making financial problems artificially for them which causes the cancellation of TV Companies and newspapers, bring trials to the court and through court’s ordered decisions”.

According to the information of the organization, the following TV Companies faced this kind of problems: “the Ninth Channel”, “Iberia”, “Mze”; newspapers: “Morning Papers”, “Tavisufali Gaziti (Free Newspaper)”, “Akhali Epoka (New Époque)”, “Kartuli Mtserloba (Georgian Literature)”; Journals: “Press-Premier”, “Omega” and “Image”. It should be mentioned that the main governmental force for propaganda – the “First Channel” and “Rustavi 2” enjoy the complete financial amnesty and the government does not mention the millions of their debts”.

The authors of the statement express their solidarity towards the TV Company “Kavkasia” and calls human Rights organizations for doing the same.