(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 14 June 2000 letter to President Eduard Shevardnadze, CPJ expressed its great alarm about reports of official harassment, intimidation, and death threats against the host of a program on Georgian television. According to numerous local and international news reports, Akaki Gogichaishvili, who anchors the popular weekly program “60 Minutes” on the […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 14 June 2000 letter to President Eduard Shevardnadze, CPJ expressed its great alarm about reports of official harassment, intimidation, and death threats against the host of a program on Georgian television.
According to numerous local and international news reports, Akaki Gogichaishvili, who anchors the popular weekly program “60 Minutes” on the independent channel Rustavi 2, has repeatedly been threatened by officials and businessmen (including members of President Shevardnadze’s family) who were angered by the show’s hard-hitting investigations of state corruption and the criminal underworld.
On 19 May, Gogichaishvili held a press conference in Tbilisi, in which he claimed that his life had been threatened and that he had been told to leave the country. Meanwhile, local press freedom groups report that the Interior Ministry, the office of the general prosecutor, and other government agencies have set up a joint committee to investigate the programming and financial affairs of “60 Minutes.”
The harassment peaked after the 26 March and 2 April broadcasts of two “60 Minutes” episodes alleging corruption in the Georgian Writers’ Union. Gogichaishvili claims that prosecutor general Djamlet Babilashvili and his deputy, Anzor Baluashvili, took issue with the allegations, threatening to ban “60 Minutes” and to initiate legal proceedings against him. Later, according to Gogichaishvili, he also received word that his life had been threatened.
On 22 May, President Shevardnadze ordered the Interior and Security Ministries to take all necessary measures to protect Gogichaishvili and his family.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– welcoming his order to the Interior and Security Ministries to take all necessary measures to protect Gogichaishvili and his family, but urging him to go further
– respectfully requesting that he launch an investigation into this case and bring to justice anyone found to have threatened or otherwise illegally pressured Gogichaishvili
– also urging him to ensure that Gogichaishvili and all other journalists in Georgia may work without fear of reprisal
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:His Excellency Eduard Shevardnadze
President of Georgia
Plekhanova 103
Tbilisi 880064, Georgia
Fax: +99532 99 74 75
E-mail: office@presidpress.gov.gePlease copy appeals to the source if possible.
