Georgian journalists file complaint to the prosecutor's office against beating

Journalists of the "Trialeti" TV company intend to file a complaint to the Georgian General Prosecutor's Office and the MoI in connection with pressure exerted on journalists, says Lado Bichashvili, producer of the TV channel information service.

According to the producer, the law enforcement officers applied physical force against the camera crew who tried to record the dismantling of the statute of Stalin in Gori, and prevented them from fulfilling their professional duty.

According to Bichashvili, the police took away their camera and deleted the records, reports "Georgia Online".

In his turn, Sozar Subari, former Georgian ombudsman, regards the case as an attempt to intimidate mass media representatives. Subari notes that he visited Gori after receiving information about the beating of journalists from Badri Nanetashvili and Eroci Kitsmarishvili, founders of the "Trialeti" TV company.

According to Subari, no TV companies were recording the dismantling of the statue, the records were made by the Department of Constitutional Security and then the materials were handed over to journalists, reports IPN.

When the "Trialeti" crew tried to make records, armed plain-clothed policemen beat the journalists, took away their camera and deleted the records, says the former ombudsman.

"Later, Vladimir Dzhugheli, chief of police in Shida Kartli, returned the camera and claimed to the journalists that they had probably been physically insulted by passers-by. How could this happen, they were armed?" asks Subari.

In his turn, Vladimir Dzhugheli claims that he "has no idea" about the beating of journalists because no one addressed him on the case. This is why no investigation has been initiated.

Dzhugheli fails to confirm the statement by Sozar Subari to the effect that he personally returned the camera to the journalists and promised to punish the guilty. According to him, he has not met Subari at all, reports "InterpressNews".

The statue of Stalin was removed on the night of June 25  from the central square of the town of Gori in Georgia. The residents had not been informed about the town administration plants, and a vacant square in the morning was a surprise for the townspeople. Later, several tens of townspeople held an action of protest, claiming that the statue had been removed during the night on purpose so that nobody could interfere with the act.