The Kakheti Information Center reported on March 28 that its journalist was prevented from carrying out her professional activities. The video footage shows that Lukhum Shetekauri asked a group of journalists, who entered his office at the Akhmeta Municipal Gamgeoba, to turn off their cameras. When the journalist told the local official that the Gamgeoba building was a public institution and she had the right to make a recording, Lukhum Shetekauri insulted the group of journalists with the following words: “Get out of here… you are a provocateur”.

The Kakheti Information Center also reported that “Lukhum Shetekauri struck a cameraman from the Kakheti Information Center”; however, the video does not show the fact of physical insult.

During the conversation with the Media Development Foundation, Shetekauri denied that he insulted journalists physically and recollected the day of the incident. He said that the cameraman turned on his camera when he was specifying the issue on which the journalist wanted to get a comment. He noted that he got angry because the cameraman started to record a video without warning him in advance. 

Journalist Tamar Modebadze confirmed that they started to record the interview with Shetekauri without prior agreement with him. She also said that in case of prior agreement over the issue, Shetekauri might have refrained from making a comment.

The Kakheti Information Center has applied to the Prime Minister in connection with the incident. 

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According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the investigation of the case is being launched under the article of 154, Paragraph 2 (Interference in proffesional activities) of the Criminal Code of Georgia. According to this article, illegally preventing a journalist from carrying out his/her professional activities by threat of violence or by using one’s official position, his/her coercion into spreading or not spreading information under violence - shall be punishable by fine or by imprisonment for up to two years, by deprivation of the right to occupy a position or pursue a particular activity for the term up to three years of without it.

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New secret recordings of private life were released on March 14, 2016. Although the individuals shown on the video were unidentified, the video contained a threat towards a journalist and several politicians about releasing secret recordings of their private lives, unless they quit their positions before March 31.

Journalist Inga Grigolia also became the target of threatening. Grigolia made a live televised statement about the threat, saying that she was not afraid of any threats and it would not make her silent.  

“I promise you, who are threatening me with making my private life public and demanding me to leave the country, I will sacrifice myself to defending my rights and the rights of other people and I will spare no efforts to send those, who have filmed and released these videos, to jail for many years,” she said during a live program on Pirveli TV. 

Earlier on March 11, a separate sex tape, purportedly showing one of the opposition politicians, was posted on YouTube, which was later blocked. The prosecutor’s office said after the video was released that it launched an investigation under article 157 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (Disclosure of personal or family secrets, of information on private life or of personal data).

During a news program hosted by Inga Grigolia on Pirveli TV, Georgian Dream lawmaker, Davit Lortkipanidze made absolutely unacceptable and unjustified remarks about Grigolia’s private life.

His remarks were related to the journalist’s comments on releasing secret sex tapes on March 14, containing a threat towards the journalist and several politicians about releasing secret recordings of their private lives, unless they quit their positions before March 31.

In his interview with Alia newspaper released on March 28, MP Davit Lortkipanidze spoke not only about Grigolia’s private life, but also about her daughter’s political views (in particular, which team she supports) and official powers (for which agency she works).  

A new secret recording of private life was again released in social networks on March 31. An unidentified person, who released it, demanded Inga Grigolia to quit the television (Pirveli TV).

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The prosecutor’s office launched an investigation under article 157 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

Inga Grigoliais was summoned to  the Prosecutor"s Office for interrogation on March 17.

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Statement of non-governmental Organisations on dissemination secret recordings of private life

MDF statement concerning the action of MP Davit Lortkipanidze

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Journalists from Liberali magazine and Netgazeti online edition were prevented from carrying out their professional activities in Building I of the Tbilisi State University (TSU) on March 14, 2016. Liberali journalist, Sopo Gogishvili was physically insulted. Photographer Basti (Mamuka) Mgaloblishvili from the same magazine said that his camera was broken during the incident. A mobile phone of Netgazeti journalist, Giorgi Diasamidze was seized.

“There was a certain commotion near the place, where the members of TSU Self-Governance were holding a rally and we, the journalists and cameraman, went to capture it. One of the protesters, whose face was covered with clothes, punched Liberali photographer, Basti Mgaloblishvili and threw his camera to the ground; as a result, the camera was broken. I was recording the incident, when the same person seized my phone,” says Netgazeti journalist, Giorgi Diasamidze, who managed to get his phone back soon.     

According to the Criminal Code of Georgia, interference with the journalist's professional activities is punishable. In particular, according to Article 154, “unlawful interference with the journalist's professional activities, i.e. coercing a journalist into disseminating or not disseminating information, shall be punished by a fine or community service from 120 to 140 hours or with corrective labor for up to two years. The same act committed using threat of violence or official position, shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment for up to two years, with or without the deprivation of the right to hold an official position or to carry out a particular activity for up to three years or without this.

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Ministry of Internal Affairs launched an investigation under the Article 187, paragraph 1  (damage of the property).

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On February 26, Public Broadcaster fired journalist Eka Mishveladze. Mishveladze was informed about the decision by official letter. According to the letter, after the closure of public-political talk-show “First Studio”, the Executive Council did not approve the project of the TV program presented by the journalist, which
became the reason of her dismissal.
Eka Mishveladze’s talk-show “First studio” has been closed since September 4, 2016. Basa Janikashvili, advisor to the Director General of the Public Broadcaster announced that the reason of the closure was the marriage of Eka Mishveladze and one of the leaders of Free Democrats, Aleksi petriashvili. Later, the management explained this decision with format changes and replacement by new program. On September 8, 2015 Eka Mishveladze made a statement that secret surveillance was being conducted against her.

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On February 4, the director general of TV Maestro Baia Gadabadze was replaced by Levan Gachechiladze, brother of Giorgi Gachechiladze. These changes were preceded by the dispute on the configuration of shares between owners. Zurab Nakeuri replaced Gachechiladze on the position of general director of TV Maestro later. Levan Gachechiladze participated in 2008 presidential elections and was the main competitor of the acting president, Mikheil Saakashvili.

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Three current journalists (Irakli Kiknavelidze, Levan Sutidze and Nino Macharashvili) and one former employee (Avto Koridze) of Tabula TV were attacked at Restaurant Chashnagari at Kote Apkhazi Street in Tbilisi on January 12, 2016. Journalist Irakli Kiknavelidze said that several persons assaulted them both verbally and physically and damaged the restaurant equipment. Kiknavelidze also said that the assailants cited Tabula’s critical views on the Georgian Church as the reason behind the attack. The attacked journalists sustained minor injuries.

The Interior Ministry has launched investigation under Article 125 of the Criminal Code of Georgia involving battery.  

A group of non-governmental organizations said that the Interior Ministry launched investigation under the wrong article. The statement released by them reads that it is important “to give proper qualification to the act.” “When describing the circumstances of the crime, the investigation has to indicate that there are signs of offence on the grounds of hatred envisaged by part 3¹ of article 53 of the Criminal Code of Georgia,” the statement reads. Based on the released video footage and the statements made by eyewitnesses, the signs of threatening and beating have been revealed in the case. In addition, the attack on journalists because of their dissenting opinions has been motivated by hatred.

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GDI, MDF, EMC, TDI, Identoba, Sapari, GYLA: Statement, 14 January, 2016

Media Advocacy Coalition: Statement , 15 January, 2016

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