(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has expressed concern about harassment of the media in the Adjara Autonomous Republic. Several journalists were recently physically attacked or prevented from working in the region, where a state of emergency was declared on 7 January 2004. Since the departure of former president Eduard Shevardnadze, authorities in the region have effectively refused […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has expressed concern about harassment of the media in the Adjara Autonomous Republic. Several journalists were recently physically attacked or prevented from working in the region, where a state of emergency was declared on 7 January 2004.
Since the departure of former president Eduard Shevardnadze, authorities in the region have effectively refused to accept the authority of Nino Burdjanadze, who was named interim president of Georgia until Mikhail Saakashvili takes over. Saakashvili was elected on 2 January.
On 13 January, around 15 thugs beat Davit Gogitauri, a cameraman from the television station Imedi, and seized his camera in Batumi, capital of the Adjara Autonomous Republic. Just before the attack, Gogitauri had been set to interview a man who was assaulted after hanging the traditional Georgian flag from his window. The flag is a symbol of President Saakashvili’s National Movement party.
In Gonio village on 11 January, around 15 black-clad men beat journalists Mzia Amaglobeli and Eter Turadze, both from “Batumelebi” magazine. They also seized and damaged the camera of Diana Trapaidze, of Imedi television, and seized video equipment from Nestan Sheckhladze, of Rustavi 2, an independent television station. The journalists were attacked as they covered a demonstration in support of President Saakashvili.
Police officers in Batumi had earlier assaulted Trapaidze and Sheckhladze on 10 January, after they filmed the police ripping down posters of the Kmara movement. The group spearheaded the protest during the “rose revolution”, which saw former president Shevarnadze’s peaceful resignation and the taking of power by the opposition after legislative elections on 2 November 2003. The officers accused the journalists of giving publicity to Kmara.
Journalist Tedo Jorbenadze, of “Batumelebi” magazine, who was also present, was beaten by the police officers. The three journalists were held for less than one hour and subsequently released after the intervention of former Adjarian Member of Parliament Aslan Smirba and Interior Ministry Press Officer Davit Gergedava.
Irakli Shetciruli, a journalist from Rustavi 2 television, was prevented from crossing the Chokoli administrative border during the night of 7 to 8 January. A member of the security forces told the journalist in a sarcastic tone that his station had caused a revolution in Georgia and asked if he was planning on doing the same thing in Adjara.
The Adjarian Interior Ministry said the refusal to allow the journalist into the region was legitimate, because of the state of emergency in the autonomous republic. The journalist had just finished reporting on the arrest of Kmara movement members.
RSF has called on Aslan Abashidze, the president of the Adjara Autonomous Republic, to do everything possible to allow journalists to work without obstruction. The organisation has also asked him to ensure that those responsible for the violence and obstruction are identified and punished.
RSF also noted that Rustavi 2 television has been banned from broadcasting in Adjari since 25 November 2003 (see IFEX alert of 29 December 2003). The authorities in the autonomous republic began virulently criticising the station on the day of legislative elections, after it announced results of a poll, according to which Abashidze’s Renewal Union Party was obtaining poor results. The station also gave wide coverage to demonstrations that followed the elections calling for the departure of Shevardnadze and Abashidze.
