(GDF/IFEX) – Amiran Meskheli, correspondent for the newspaper “Orioni”, appears to have been targeted for harassment by staff members of the Georgian Ministry of Defence. Following the publication in “Orioni” in May 1998 of an interview conducted by Meskheli with several soldiers in the military, the command of the Akhaltsikhi brigade of the Ministry of […]
(GDF/IFEX) – Amiran Meskheli, correspondent for the newspaper “Orioni”,
appears to have been targeted for harassment by staff members of the
Georgian Ministry of Defence.
Following the publication in “Orioni” in May 1998 of an interview conducted
by Meskheli with several soldiers in the military, the command of the
Akhaltsikhi brigade of the Ministry of Defence targeted the newspaperâs
editorial staff for harassment. In particular, on 11 June, Meskheli, one of
the article’s co-authors, was called up and sent to the Akhaltsikhi brigade
without any official preliminary notification. Meskheli produced a medical
certificate indicating that he suffered from a serious illness – a stomach
ulcer – and pleaded to be removed from military service. At present,
Meskheli is in the hospital and his future is still uncertain.
GDF believes that the order to have Meskheli serve in the military is an
attempt to settle accounts with both him and “Orioni” for the published
interview, which appears to have angered military officials.
