‘I’m sure the culprit is one person or one group’

Lately ’Elva Market’ stalls in Tbilisi where mainly newspapers, books as well as cigarettes, chewing gum and other trifles are sold, have been robbed one after the other.

‘ALIA HOLDING’ RULED TO PAY GEL 50.000

Tbilisi court of appeal decreed that ‘Alia Holding’ must pay Gel 50.000 in favor of Otar Koberidze, a well-known Georgian actor.

Channel 9, TV station owned by Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili’s wife, said on July 27 it would appeal to the chief prosecutor’s office to request an immediate investigation of an attempted blackmail against its journalist.

“If police fails to react, then it means the Authorities are involved”

Studio Monitor which makes films of investigative journalism has been robbed. Robbers took along all the equipment. Monitor’s founder Nino Zuriashvili links the incident with the Studio’s activity. However, MIA holds the opinion of an ordinary robbery scenario.

Appeal of Georgian media outlets

Following the demand of Georgian prosecution office and respective court decision, TV Company Maestro was dispossessed of a great number of satellite antennas and other technical means, which the company was going to use for supplying its product, namely - information – to a larger audience. It’s a natural goal of any media outlet. This equipment would have enabled customers to watch other channels as well, without any discrimination, including channels with the views opposing those of Maestro TV.

Maestro TV’s regular news bulletin at 3pm was not aired on Friday, instead the Tbilisi-based TV channel showed live footage of its journalists and staff standing outside the Parliament building, who were protesting against the authorities’ decision to impound satellite dish antennas.

Interview with Manana Eliashvili, Director of ‘Info-9’ Information Agency’

Strange tendency has emerged lately – in regions non-administrative media journalists are being accompanied by employees equipped with visit cards of administrative media means, hindering their work. We are speaking about this issue with Manana Eliashvili, Director of ‘Info-9’ Information Agency:

The  famous Grisha Chigogidze, head of the PIONERFILM of the Tbilisi Youth Palace, nested in the former palace of the Russian viceroy in Rustaveli Avenue called me and asked me beginning of June if our Media-Palitra wanted to volunteer to donate books for rewarding the winners of the youth film festival organized by the American Corners and the PIONEERFILM. I consulted the Palitra leadership and the answer to everybody’s delight was yes. On top of the books, the Georgian Journal logo was also given to the festival organizers for exhibiting at the festival. 

Facts of media oppression after the ‘Rose Revolution’ are almost completely recorded in international reports. Even today each of these cases is remembered by journalists with agitation. Eliso Chapidze, member of ‘Georgian Dream’ coalition, journalist: