Georgian opposition demands transparency in the “case of photographers”

Oppositional parties of Georgia called for the authorities of the country to make transparent the investigation on the case of press photographers detained for accusation of espionage.

In the morning of July, 7, the police of Georgia arrested press photographers from a number of foreign media and a personal photographer of President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili. A charge of “transfer of various kinds of information with the use their employment status and to the prejudice of the interests of Georgia, to an organization acting under the lee of a secret service of one of the foreign states” was brought against those detained.

Security classification was imposed on the case of the detained photographers and it is conducted according to clause 314 of the Criminal code of Georgia (espionage).

Representative of European Photo Agency (EPA) in Georgia Zurab Kurtsikidze, photographer of Press service of the Presidential Administration Irakly Gegenidze, his wife Natia Gegenidze and photographer Georgy Abdaladze who was holding a contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia are among the detained.

“Unfortunately, detention on accusation of espionage has become an ordinary practice. Saakashvili’s regime already terrorizes not only its political opponents but representatives of mass media, too”, a statement of the party “Free Georgia” runs.

“Free Georgia” calls for the authorities of the country to make the details of the investigation public and transparent and produce interim investigative data to the diplomats and political organizations accredited in Georgia”, “Novosti-Georgia” reports.

The Labour Party of Georgia expressed its indignation with the fact of arrest of famous Georgian press photographers.

“The regime has become so impudent that it started arresting representatives of free mass media. Such terror and violence of the authorities threatens anyone whom they for some reasons dislike”, the party declares.

Moscow community is not surprised with “espionage underlying reason” round the case of detention of photographers in Georgia, representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Lukashevich said at a briefing on July, 7.

“It is no surprise to us that they pin labels on the photographers and try to make it out that they are sent out spies and attach the context of espionage to the case. They pin such labels every time, RIA “Novosti” quotes Lukashevich.