Information Center of Kakheti Request Minister of Internal Affairs to Combat Oppression

Information Center of Kakheti

ICK blames the administration of the patrol police Kakheti department in oppression and requests the Minister of Interior to immediately combat illicit fining and psychological oppression on the employees of the ICK.

Special Statement of the Information Center of Kakheti

In December of 2012, ICK was informed that heads of units at the Patrol Police Kakheti Department, platoon commanders and section commanders were compelled to write resignation applications. Instead, new head of department Dimitry Maisuradze promoted his relatives to the positions. Besides that, people, accused of abuse of professional power during the previous government, were appointed to the senior positions in the patrol police department; their names were mentioned in the reports of influential international organizations.

To check the information, on January 23, 2013, ICK petitioned to the person responsible for the release of public information at the Kakheti office of the Patrol Police and requested the following public information: information about senior officials hired at the department since October 1, 2012 – their names, positions (date of appointment) and biography; information about number of people fired from the department based on their personal applications, including the date of their applications and dismissal; information about people fired from the department by the administration, including the information about their personality, position, date of dismissal; list of officers who were fired from the patrol police department in Kakheti from January 1 to December 31, 2012 including their names, position, date of appointment/dismissal and motive of their dismissal.

ICK also requested information about patrol-inspector Zviad Tsnobiladze, namely copies of the order on his dismissal, document on professional survey and orders on appointment him to the position.

On January 30, 2013 head of Kakheti department of Patrol Police Dimitry Maisuradze informed ICK that their petition was forwarded to Davit Tsinaridze, head of patrol police department at the MIA for further respond to the requested public information.

On February 5, ICK filed an administrative suit to the minister of interior Irakli Garibashvili and requested him to order the person responsible for the release of public information at the Kakheti Department of Patrol Police to immediately release the information.

Discussion of ICK’s administrative suit is scheduled at 12:00 pm on February 26 at the MIA.

Meanwhile, officers of the regional department of the patrol police oppress the ICK personnel. On December 26, ICK spread statement and requested official clarification from the MIA about the problems journalists face; namely journalists are permanently stopped for alleged violation of traffic rules; the examination of documents lasts about 20 minutes, patrol police officers insult them and breach different requirements of the Law on Police. ICK could not receive clarifications from the MIA; moreover, similar facts still occur.

On February 20, 2013, at about 4:00 pm patrol police officer Vasil Giorgadze chased the car of the ICK in the village of Patardzeuli, demanded the driver to stop car and blamed him in the violation of traffic rules. Editor-in-chief of the ICK also was in the car. The ICK representatives clarified to the patrol police officer that they had not breached traffic rules and had not crossed the line. Despite that, the patrol police officer fined the driver with 100 lari. The head of the ICK immediately called the hotline of the General Inspection of the MIA from where they were forwarded to the patrol police.

Independent media organization, which functions with the financial support of donor organizations, receives material damage with imposed illicit fines. Besides that, patrol police officers psychologically oppress journalists by similar actions that hinder our professional activities.

ICK appeals to the Minister of Interior Irakli Garibashvili to immediately combat oppression facts from the administration of the Kakheti office of patrol police.

We also appeal to the Public Defender of Georgia, human rights and media organizations to get interested in these facts and respond to them adequately.”

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