On 21 October 2015 Director General of Rustavi 2 Nika Gvaramia made a special statement about threats and a blackmail attempt from the government. According to Nika Gvaramia, the government sent an intermediary, the chairman of the organizational committee of the European youth Olympic festival in Georgia Aleksi Akhvlediani, to convey the following message: Gvaramia should better move away from the developments concerning the contested ownership of Rustavi 2 or risk secret recordings of his private life as well as phone conversations with Mikheil Saakashvili, possessed by the government, being made public; he was also advised not to forget that he has family members.

The Prosecutor’s Office launched the investigation into this statement on the same day. On 29 October 2015, a week after the statement by the Director General of Rustavi 2, a Ukrainian website published recordings of conversations between Nika Gvaramia and Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as between Giga Bokeria and Mikheil Saakashvili. On the basis of these recordings the State Security Service of Georgia launched investigation into the conspiracy to overthrow government. The Prosecutor’s Office never clarified the legality of these recordings.

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The Prosecutors Office launched investigation regarding this statement that same day.

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On 16 October 2015, Tabula director Tamar Chergoleishvili, Tabula chief producer Lexo Machavariani and student Salome Khvadagiani were detained on Rustaveli Avenue. The reason for the detention was putting up posters for the campaign against Gazprom on the construction fence and lighting pole. 

The posters depicted cartoons of former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and Gazprom. Notably, there were other posters on the same construction fence too. 

The police officers drew up a legal violation report on the basis of Part 1, Article 150 of the violations code. According to this article, “making various types of inscriptions, drawings or symbols on building facades, shop windows, fences, columns, trees without authorization, also putting up placards, slogans, banners at places not allocated for this purpose” is a violation causing damage to property of a self-governing entity.

Later the detainees were released. Tbilisi City Court acknowledged the detainees as violators.

According to the Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili, detention of these individuals for putting up cartoons unjustifiably limited freedom of expression. 

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The police officers drew up a legal violation report on the basis of Part 1, Article 150 of the violations code. According to this article, “making various types of inscriptions, drawings or symbols on building facades, shop windows, fences, columns, trees without authorization, also putting up placards, slogans, banners at places not allocated for this purpose” is a violation causing damage to property of a self-governing entity.

Later the detainees were released. Tbilisi City Court acknowledged the detainees as violators.

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On 30 September 2015 the car of Kobuleti Bureau of Adjaran TV was hijacked. Journalist Nino Inaishvili testified to the police on this incident, after which, according to her, the head of Kobuleti police Zakaria Gurchiani met her in the police office yard and asked her to change her testimony. According to Batumelebi newspaper, the probable hijacker is a relative of Rati Megrelidze, Deputy Gamgebeli of Kobuleti.  

Journalist Nino Inaishvili issued the recording showing Zakaria Gurchiani’s attempt to coerce her into changing her testimony. Coercion of a witness into changing the testimony involves elements of crime covered by Article 372 of the Georgian Criminal Code.

According to the MIA, the prosecutors are investigating the case of the head of Kobuleti police Zakaria Gurchiani.

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According to the MIA, the prosecutors are investigating the case of the head of Kobuleti police Zakaria Gurchiani.

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According to Maestro TV reporter Irakli Vachiberadze, he was bullied by the head of Guria Regional Main Division of MIA Koba Tsertsvadze because of his question to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

The journalist asked the question about the arrest of the National Movement members, David Mzhavanadze and Ilia Malazonia, and a member of organization Free Zone, Beso Katamadze, during Garibashvili’s visit to Ozurgeti on 15 September 2015. These individuals hang a poster saying “Liar Government” on one of the town’s apartment blocks. As soon as they did this, they were arrested. They were charged on the basis of Article 150, Part 2 of the Administrative Offences Code, which concerns making various types of inscriptions, drawings or symbols on building facades, shop windows, fences, columns, trees without authorization, also putting up placards, slogans, banners at places not allocated for this purpose.

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The Ministry of Internal Affairs made a statement regarding this incident, expressing the readiness of the ministry’s general inspection to start investigation into the journalist’s statement and in the case a legal violation is established, to react to it appropriately. 

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The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics and the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association made the statements regarding the fact.

The statement of Georgian Young Lawyers' Association - http://bit.ly/1XxvhXE

The statement of  Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics -  http://bit.ly/1KWOKK7 (Available in Georgian)

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On 8 September 2015, the anchor of the Public Broadcaster’s political talk show First Studio, Eka Mishveladze, said during Rustavi 2 TV program Archevani, that she and her spouse – one of the leaders of the opposition party Free Democrats Aleksi Petriashvili – were under surveillance.

"The special services knew about my marriage with Aleksi Petriashvili well before the Public Broadcaster [Director General’s] advisor learned about it”, – said Eka Mishveladze on Rustavi 2 talk show Archevani.

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On 9 September the “This concerns you – they still listen to us” campaign called on the law enforcement agencies to launch investigation on the basis of Eka Mishveladze’s statement.

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On 4 September, during the discussion  about challenges for the TV media, organized by the Media Advocacy Coalition, Basa Janikashvili, advisor to the Director General of Public Broadcaster, announced that the anchor of the First Studio program Eka Mishveladze had a conflict of interest because of her marriage to politician Aleksi Petriashvili. The journalist herself learned about the closure of her program during this public meeting.

Eka Mishveladze’s conract with Public Broadcaster did not include prohibition of the conflict of interest. According to Article 22.2 of the Code of Conduct of Public Broadcaster, employee is obliged to declare conflict of interest. Specifically, “if an employee has grounds to believe that there is or may develop a conflict of interest, he or her is obliged to inform the Broadcaster’s management about this. The Broadcaster and its employees must take every appropriate measure to avoid conflict of interest. Depending on the specific situation, an employee may have to refrain from covering certain issues or work on different tasks." This Article does not envision closure of the program in the case of possible conflict of interest. Instead, it provides for overcoming conflict of interest in agreement with management, by refraining from covering certain issues or by working on other tasks.

After harsh critique from the civil sector came the news that the journalist received an offer from the channel’s management and would anchor a new analytical program from January 2016. After waiting for six months Eka Mishveladze received an official letter from the management informing her about the termination of her contract. Eka Mishveladze is going to appeal the decision in the court.

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