Oppositional journalist gets at large in Georgia

Journalist Shalva Ramishvili, convicted of blackmail in Georgia, was released on Wednesday, August 26, after 4 years in custody.

Mr Ramishvili, a journalist and owner of the TV Company "202", does not plead guilty and believes that he was arrested for his criticism of the President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili.

In August 2005, when Ramishvili was arrested, he was running a popular political talk show at his channel. He was charged and then convicted for an attempt of extorting 100,000 US dollars from Koba Bekauri, an MP from the party in power. The court found him guilty and sentenced to 4 years in prison.

According to the version, presented by Ramishvili and David Kokhreidze, director general of the "202", they were recording an interview with Bekauri with the aim to reveal his corrupted activity. They asked 100,000 dollars from Bekauri. In exchange, they promised not to disclose the information they had. Bekauri secretly recorded the conversation and then brought a claim against Ramishvili.

David Kokhreidze was imprisoned for 3 years, but released in 2007 because of the amnesty.

As explained by the Georgian NGO "Centre for Human Rights" to the International Institute of Press, Ramishvili refused from the pardon, as an appeal for pardon means recognition of one's guilt.

"We've studied Shalva Ramishvili's case and believe that he was a political prisoner," said Anna Natsvlishvili, a lawyer of the "Centre for Human Rights". "Putting Ramishvili behind bars for several years is a confirmation that the authorities of Georgia had a far-reaching plan of using the law as a shelter to shut up the critically set up members of the society and mass media."

The TV Company "202" had to stop broadcasting in October 2006.