On 25 July 2024 two media crews, one from the Mtavari TV – Mtavari Arkhi (https://mtavari.tv/) and another from TV Monitoring (https://tvmonitoringi.ge/), were assaulted in connection with their professional duties. Mtavari TV blamed alleged government-aligned thugs for the attack on its crew, while the TV Monitoring crew was attacked by minibus drivers angered by a recent report on their station.
In Supsa (სუფსა), a village in the western Georgia, Mtavari TV’s journalist Lado Menabde (ლადო მენაბდე) and cameraman Manuchar Mzhavanadze (მანუჩარ მჟავანაძე) were attacked by several persons. Menabde recalls that the incident began when a man started swearing at Mtavari TV and then at them personally. Despite their attempts to avoid confrontation, the man allegedly spat in Menabde’s face and kicked him. The assault escalated when four others joined in, allegedly beating the crew members and breaking their camera. Both men had to call for emergency assistance.
Menabde links the attack to the journalist investigative work. Mtavari TV released a statement condemning the attack and urging government agencies to investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable. There is no confirmation yet on whether an investigation has been initiated. You can read the statement here: https://mtavari.tv/news/161856-mtavari-arkhis-gantskhadeba
In a separate incident in the capital city Tbilisi (თბილისი), Georgia, TV Monitoring journalist and cameraman Beka Pirveli (ბექა პირველი) and Shota Sadaghashvili (შოთა სადაღაშვილი) were allegedly attacked by bus drivers. Pirveli believes the attack was triggered by their recent report on the unsafe and uncomfortable conditions on the Tbilisi-Gori-Tbilisi bus route, including the lack of air conditioning and the use of tiny chairs as extra seats. The attackers recognized Pirveli and Sadaghashvili from their report. The incident began when a driver allegedly refused to let them on his bus, followed by an assault by five other men. One crew member was hospitalized with head injuries, while another suffered a sprained hand. TV Monitoring has informed the relevant authorities about the case.
You can see the video of the attack here: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/72Ehnqh1mHhaDEL6/?mibextid=UalRPS
Interference with a journalist’s professional activities is punishable under Article 154 of Georgian Criminal Law. On 26 July 2024, the Special Investigation Service in Georgia, announced the arrest of two individuals involved in the attack on the Mtavari TV crew. The investigation is being conducted under Article 156, Part 2, Subparagraph “a” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which prescribes punishment for the persecution of a person in connection with their professional activity, with penalties of up to three years of imprisonment.
Additional to the two cases on 25 July 2024, the Georgian regulatory authority – National Communications Commission, published a warning to the television channel Mtavari TV for airing a video in July this year that, according to the warning, portrayed with critics Members of Parliament in Georgia who supported the new Foreign Agents law.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns these attacks on journalists and the decision by the the Georgian regulatory authority and stresses the importance of protecting press freedom and ensuring the safety of media professionals. SEEMO will be closely monitoring the situation and calls on the Georgian authorities to take swift and decisive action to ensure justice is served and to prevent such incidents in the future.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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