Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Pressure on Journalists in Kakheti

February 1, 2006

 Pressure on Journalists in Kakheti

On January 31, 15.30 p.m., the deputy of the regional governor Gia Papunashvili verbally assaulted Gela Mtivlishvili, a journalist for the “Imedi” newspaper and Human Rights Information and Documentation Center. The situation was made worse as the journalist was then forced to leave the hall. “I wanted to record the acting Telavi regional governor Gocha Mamatsashvili’s comments about the tender advertised by the regional administration. The young woman refused to allow me to enter the room to meet the governor. Furthermore, Gia Papunashvili then tried to attack me with a chair”, states Gela Mtivlishvili, who managed to leave the room in time. “I felt the door slam behind me as I left the room. However, that was not all, Gia Papunashvili then left the room, verbally assaulted me, and ordered the unofficial guard standing there to take my recorder , though they did not manage that’, says the victim.

None of the people, who left their working places and gathered to watch the incident, tried to stop Papunashvili. “The head of the Public and Media relation service Parna Makashvili called the young people who tried to intimidate me. Additionally, Makashvili demanded that my entrance pass for the building be taken from him and threatened that the young people would make trouble for me if I disobey”, says Mtivlishvili. He also added that: “Papunashvili is irritated with the articles published in the newspaper ”Imedi”, which discloses his participation  in illegal acts and maltreatment towards the citizens”. According to Mtivlishvili, the journalists in Kakheti often experience the pressure. The officials, it seems, do not care about the human rights, as violators of these rights have never been held to account.

Mtivlishvili demands Gia Papunashvili’s dismissal from his position and in other case Mtivlishvili intends to use the law to achieve resolution of these problems. It should also be mentioned that there have been several attempts to assassinate Mtivlishvili, including two attempts to bomb his house. These cases are still under investigation.
 

Gela Mtivlishvili

 

News