Journalists from Gori Demand That Prosecutor General and Ministry of Internal Affairs React to Dispersal of Their Protest Action

Journalists from Gori Demand That Prosecutor General and Ministry of Internal Affairs React to Dispersal of Their Protest Action

On June 22 Journalists representing Gori-based TV and radio station "Trialeti" and newspaper "Trialeti" filed a complaint to Prosecutor General Office and Ministry of the Interior and demanded that these state agencies react to the dispersal of their protest action in front of the State Chancellery building on June 21. The journalists were conducting a hunger-strike there.

The journalists also applied to Georgian President, Ombudsman and Head of Parliament's Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration and asked them to react to the incident.

Director General of the TV station John Nanetashvili and two photographers of the TV company, who were holding a hunger-strike were forced into a patrol police car and taken to the Mtkvari River embankment where they were released.

John Nanetashvili says the patrol police officers told them to leave the State Chancellery premises otherwise they would be arrested. "For journalist's safety we decided to stop the hunger-strike" - Nanetashvili said.

15 journalists representing Gori-based TV and radio station “Trialeti” and newspaper “Trialeti” went on a hunger strike in front of State Chancellery on June 20.

One of the protesters was Director General of the TV and radio station John Nanetashvili, whose brother MP Badri Nanetashvili lost his MP status because he was accused of managing the abovementioned media organizations, which, according to Georgian legislation is inadmissible for a parliamentarian.

Parliament had been studying the business activities of MP Badri Nanetashvili for several days. One of the main allegations leveled at Nanetashvili was that he was directly involved in the management of his TV and radio station as well as his newspaper.

Parliament started to investigate Nanetashvili’s activities after Georgian Ombudsman Sozar Subari sent a letter to Parliament in which he presented the TV station “Trialeti’s” former journalists’ evidence indicating that Nanetashvili was actually involved in the management of that TV company.

Badri Nanetashvili refutes those accusations and says he’s being pressured.

http://www.media.ge/eng/news_detailed.php?id_numb=988