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When Will Radio Imedi Broadcast Again?

November 20, 2007
Employees at Radio Imedi showed up to work to find their office locked. Security guards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs refused them entry, stating they were following orders. Radio Imedi’s return to the air is uncertain.

Radio Imedi and Imedi TV hold separate licenses and have different Boards of Directors. Both, however, are owned by the News Corp Company.

Shalva Shavgulidze, a lawyer for Radio Imedi, laid out that there were no grounds for shutting down the radio station. With the State of Emergency lifted, there is no official documentation or reasoning officials can point to justifying Radio Imedi’s continued prohibition from the air. No officials could be found today to take responsibility for not letting personnel into the Radio Imedi offices. “When we demanded an explanation from them,” Shavgulidze said, “the security guards once again called their superiors and received another order not to let people in the office. When no one is willing to take responsibility for the situation, the only option we have is to file inquiries in all possible outlets. We want the answer to our question: What is behind not restoring Radio Imedi’s broadcast?”

Nona Kandiashvili, director of Radio Imedi, is afraid that equipment in the office might be damaged. None of their staff has entered the radio since November 7.

“The door is not locked and we cannot control people entering and leaving the office,” Kandiashvili says. “We expected that we would be allowed to broadcast again because we have not made any statements against the government. As we have found out, however, many public officials do not know that we have been shut down. For example, MP Paliko Kublashvili was very surprised when he learned about it from one of our journalists.”

Tomorrow, Shalva Shavgulidze will appeal to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Eka Kevanishvili, Tbilisi


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