On March 8, 2023, Georgian media representatives suffered injuries during the rally dispersal on Rustaveli Avenue. Dozens of journalists and camerapersons were exposed to tear gas deployed by the riot police to halt a protest. Disturbingly, there was a case where a gas grenade exploded at the journalist’s feet. While covering protests, the media representatives faced an assault and obstruction of professional activities by law enforcement officers, despite their knowledge about the professional duty of the journalists.

Law enforcement agencies abused and obstructed the following media representatives from their journalistic activities:

• Netgazeti’s journalist, Mikheil Gvadzabia, was physically assaulted by a special forces officer who kicked and knocked the phone out of his hand after the journalist told him he was a member of the press.

• The special forces, by using force, obstructed Publika’s reporters, Aleksandre Keshelashvili and Basti Mgaloblishvili, from their journalistic activities.

• The law enforcement officers attacked Formula TV’s journalist, Tea Tetradze, and cameraman Nika Kokaia, interfering with their professional activities.

• They physically assaulted Formula TV’s journalist and cameraman, Giorgi Kvizhinadze and Davit Mania.

• Mediachecker’s editor, Giorgi Gogua, was also physically assaulted by law enforcement officers. The violence stopped after he explained that he was a press member.

• Formula TV’s journalist, Salome Chaduneli, was verbally insulted and interfered with her professional activities.

• Formula TV’s journalist, Nika Sajaia, was physically assaulted.

• Guria News’s journalist, Merab Tsaava, was hindered in his professional journalistic activities.

(The list is renewable)

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics strongly condemns acts of violence against journalists, gross violations of journalists’ rights, and interference in professional activities.

We call on the authorities to conduct an exhaustive and transparent investigation to identify and hold responsible law enforcement officials accountable for the offenses against media representatives.

The Charter will always protect the rights of journalists and the high standard of freedom of expression.

We, the media organizations that have signed the statement, strongly oppose the Russian bill initiated by the members of the Parliamentary Majority.

We firmly believe that this bill aims to suppress the critical voice and create an environment where media and public organizations can no longer uncover corruption, injustice, and poverty in the country.

This was proved by the outcomes of a similar law passed in Russia years ago - civil and media organizations were closed and journalists became the victims of persecution.

Adopting this bill will cause insuperable harm to the EU accession process of Georgia, which was clearly indicated in the statement of the High Representative of the European Union on February 24.  Consequently, the submitted legislative amendment hampers Georgia's development and closes a window of opportunity.

We serve Georgian society and express deep concern about the future of our country. We are not going to work under this label. Accordingly, in case of adopting the Russian law, we refuse to register as “Agents of Foreign Influence.” It insults our professional dignity.

 

Tbilisi:

Shida Kartli:

Kvemo Kartli:

Samtskhe-Javakheti:

Adjara:

Samegrelo:

Kakheti:

Imereti:

Guria:

Mtskheta-Mtianeti:

Today marks one year since members of a violent group attacked media representatives, physically and verbally assaulted them and damaged equipment during a demonstration against the March of Dignity. Later the mob attacked the offices of Tbilisi Pride, Shame Movement, and Human Rights House Tbilisi.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 53 media workers were assaulted, among them Lekso Lashkarava, a cameraman for TV Pirveli, who died on July 11, 2021.

On July 5, 2021, the government did not protect media representatives. In addition, none of the cases mentioned above was adequately investigated. Organizers of the demonstration against Tbilisi Pride were not held accountable, even though their identities were known to the general public.

Representatives of the government continue aggressive communication with media workers, and dozens of assault cases remain uninvestigated. Such an approach encourages future occasions of assaulting media representatives.

Freedom and safety of media are necessary for the Euro-Atlantic integration of Georgia.

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics considers that the situation regarding the safety of media workers is alarming and calls on the government to take practical steps to improve the media environment immediately.

According to media information, yesterday, on March 5, 2022, Mikheil Fishman, the journalist representing the Russian independent channel "Dozhd" was denied entry to Georgia. He has so far refrained from commenting and identifying himself due to the growing threat to journalists in Russia.

Today, on March 6, 2022, it became known that Mikheil Fishman's family is in Georgia, while the journalist himself is not allowed to cross the border and is still waiting for an answer from the Georgian state.

We would like to remind the public that “Dozhd” has been a broadcaster with a critical editorial policy regarding the Russian government. In the wake of the ongoing military operations in Ukraine, the aforementioned TV channel stopped broadcasting on March 3.

Recently the Russian government introduced new regulations making it difficult for independent media to cover the ongoing war. Dissemination of information that the Kremlin might consider “fake” could be punished with a considerable fine or even imprisonment. Given these circumstances, some journalists are trying to leave Russia. Other media outlets in Russia have stopped broadcasting, including CNN, as well as the Russian bureau of Deutsche Welle, which has been closed. Therefore, we expect that other Russian journalists will likewise need the help of the Georgian State. 

We believe that the fact of restricting the permit of entry could be discriminatory because other persons entering the country from Russia via Yerevan do not face similar obstacles. Therefore, the state must explain what constituted the main reason for not admitting Mikheil Fishman. 

The Coalition calls on the Georgian authorities not to create artificial border obstacles for Russian journalists who have been harassed for their professional activities, strictly comply with the requirements of the Georgian Law on International Protection, and refuse to violate the rights of critical journalists and their associates.

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics expresses solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, media representatives, and colleagues in the Press Council of Ukraine.

The Charter thanks the journalists who work in the field and do their best to provide the public with checked and complete information on the developments after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, the Charter appeals to Georgian media outlets to be careful when covering current events in Ukraine, as such propaganda campaigns and disinformation are particularly active at this time, with numerous unverified reports, videos, and photos.

In a situation where the population of the country is completely focused on the events in Ukraine, it is important that the media make a redoubled effort to verify the information and use only reliable sources.

The Charter also appeals to the public not to be deceived by the misinformation spread by pro-Russian and anti-Western organizations and news channels operating in Georgia.

Physical and verbal abuse, interference with the professional activities, attempted damage to equipment - Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics revealed the following facts of violation of the rights of journalists during the second round of voting in the 2021 elections:

1. In Tbilisi, in the vicinity of one of the polling stations in Gldani, a journalist of TV Pirveli was verbally abused;
2. In Martvili, at the 31st polling station, a stranger physically confronted the journalist of Formula TV - Nino Chakvetadze while asking questions;
3. The camera crew of TV Pirveli was verbally abused by a person near the polling station in Rustavi;
4. In Kareli municipality, in the voting unit of the 2nd polling station, a United National Movement observer attacked a TV Monitoring journalist and physically abused him/her;
5. Georgian Dream coordinators verbally and physically confronted a Formula TV journalist near the polling station in Zugdidi;
6. Nino Chakvetadze, a journalist of Formula TV was attacked at the 2nd polling station in Martvili;
7. According to TV Pirveli, a Georgian Dream supporter confiscated a microphone from their journalist;
8. According to Giga Gelkhvidze – a journalist of TV Media Center, he was verbally and physically confronted at the 14th polling station in Kutaisi;
9. According to Formula TV, in Kutaisi, their camera crew was confronted by aggressive individuals and verbally abused;
10. In one of the polling stations, in the voting unit, the journalist of the TV Pirveli verbally confronted the representative of the polling station;
11. According to TV Pirveli, an aggressive Georgian Dream observer verbally and physically abused their journalist;
12. In one of the polling stations in Batumi, some persons tried to damage the camera of the TV 25 camera crew and interfered with their journalistic activities;
13. Also, in Batumi, the journalist Teo Putkaradze was verbally and physically assaulted;
14. In Kutaisi, on the 15th polling station, the journalist of On.ge was aggressively hindered in his/her work, tried to damage his/her equipment and verbally and physically abused him/her;
15. In Gonio, the camera crews of Formula TV and the Mtavari TV were attacked and verbally and physically abused;
16. In Poti, aggressive Georgian Dream activists attacked a Mtavari TV journalist and physically and verbally abused him/her;
17. In Meskheti, a Formula TV journalist was stoned and verbally abused;
18. According to Gurianius, their journalist was expelled from the first polling station in Senaki, who was filming a confrontation at the polling station;
19. Mtavari TV journalist Emma Gogokhia was confronted at one of the polling stations in Senaki and verbally abused.

The list might be updated.

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics urges the law enforcement agencies to ensure an immediate investigation on the interference in journalistic activities and attacks on members of the media.

The cases revealed in the first round can be found here.

Physical and verbal harassment, interference with the professional activities, threats, damage and seizure of equipment – the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics reveals the following facts of violation of journalists' rights during the voting on the day of Elections 2021:

• In Zugdidi, at one of the polling stations, a stranger threatened Salome Chaduneli – the Formula TV journalist with an electric shock and verbally abused her. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation regarding the fact under the article of illegal interference with a journalist's professional activities.

• In Batumi, according to TV Pirveli journalist Tamta Dolenjashvili, near one of the polling stations, activists of “Georgian Dream” locked the broadcaster's equipment in a minibus.

• The journalist of the Mtavari TV was insulted at the polling station in Gonio.

• A member of the Vani Sakrebulo from “Georgian Dream” verbally insulted the journalists.

• The journalist of the media outlet "Batumelebi" was prevented from performing his professional activities in the vicinity of the 64th polling station of Batumi.

• "You are Gvaramia's chick" - the citizen verbally confronted the journalists.

• A journalist of Pirveli TV was verbally abused in Kareli.

• The cameraman fell down during the filming at the polling station during Bidzina Ivanishvili's voting.

• Giorgi Pirukhia, a journalist of TV Pirveli, was verbally abused while performing his professional activity at the polling station.

• In Chugureti district, Tbilisi, the shooting crew of TV Pirveli was allegedly attacked by a Georgian Dream activist and the camera was broken. According to the TV company, the equipment belonging to the broadcasting company was damaged.

• TV 25 journalist Teo Putkaradze was physically assaulted while performing her professional activity.

• A journalist of Pirveli TV was verbally abused.

• The journalist of the media outlet "Batumelebi" was verbally abused. According to the media, the aggressive people responded to the journalist with threats. "We are looking at you," "we remember your names," they told the journalist.

• In Gldani, at the 47th polling station, a voter verbally insulted the journalist of the online publication "Publika" - Mindia Gabadze.

• In Chugureti, the film crew of the Mtavari TV was verbally abused.

• According to Radio Marneuli, one of their journalists was prevented from filming in one of the polling stations.

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics urges the law enforcement agencies to ensure an immediate investigation into the interference with journalistic activities and attacks on members of the media.

On September 29, 2021, the incumbent mayor of Tbilisi and the Georgian Dream mayoral candidate, Kakha Kaladze, called the journalists "radicals", "the dirtiest people" and "the head of hatred and evil.". 

The Charter of Journalistic Ethics condemns Kakha Kaladze's statement and considers that such an attitude towards the media is characteristic of authoritarianism.

The Charter considers this to be an incitement to hatred towards the media, which is especially dangerous during the election period. It is noteworthy that Kakha Kaladze had previously been known for his aggressive rhetoric towards journalists when he compared the activities of the media on July 20, 2021 to the actions of violent groups. 

The Charter of Journalistic Ethics has repeatedly stated that the aggressive rhetoric of politicians in Georgia creates a polarized media environment and negatively affects the safety and professionalism of journalists.

The Charter of Journalistic Ethics calls on the authorities not to encourage attacks on members of the media by their aggressive attitudes and to stop talking about restrictive norms of freedom of thought, speech, and expression, to support media freedom, and to switch to business relations’ mode.

On July 20, 2021, Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze compared the activities of the media to the actions of violent groups.

We have repeatedly expressed concern over the aggressive rhetoric of politicians, which creates an unsuitable environment in Georgia for the free work of media organizations and journalists. This has a negative impact on the safety of journalists. It was the statements of the Ruling Party that encouraged the violent actions against 53 members of the media on July 5.

The Charter urges the representatives of the authorities to refrain from encouraging the attacks on members of the media with their aggressive attitudes and to stop talking about restrictive norms of freedom of thought, speech and expression, to support media freedom and to switch to a business relations.

Cases of violation of the rights of media representatives in Georgia have reached a critical level. Dozens of cases against the media are still uninvestigated. Dozens of cases against the media are not still investigated. The authorities fail to ensure the safety of journalists, while the statements by the officials of the ruling party encourage the violence even more.

On July 5, 2021, during a demonstration against the "March of Dignity", members of a violent group deliberately attacked the media representatives, subjected them to physical and verbal abuse, and deliberately destroyed their equipment to obstruct their journalistic activities.

Despite the preliminary calls from the civil sector, the state has not taken appropriate measures to protect the media representatives. Insufficient police forces did not take measures to protect the journalists. Moreover, on July 5, before the start of the government session, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, laid the responsibility not upon the members of the demonstration but the organizers of the "March of Dignity" for the possible complication of the situation and called them not to hold the march on Rustaveli Avenue.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on July 5, 53 members of the media were injured, including the operator of TV Pirveli - Aleksandre Lashkarava, who was severely beaten by violent groups on July 5. Aleksandre Lashkarava died on July 11.

Part of the media representatives still remains in the hospital. Members of various violent groups continue to openly threaten journalists and cameramen, to which the law enforcement agencies do not respond accordingly. The organizers of the violent demonstration of July 5, whose identities are not known, have not been arrested either.

It should be noted that most of the facts of the attacks on journalists, obstruction of media activities, and violence that happened in the past have not been investigated so far and the issue of responsibility of the organizers of the violent groups has not been outlined.

We appeal to the representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations accredited in Georgia to respond immediately and effectively to the purposive persecution of media representatives on Rustaveli Avenue on July 5, the facts of damage to health, obstruction of professional duties, and inaction of the Georgian government.

Signatories:

1.     Mtavari TV

2.     TV Formula

3.     Rustavi 2

4.     Tabula

5.     Imedi TV

6.     Kavkasia TV

7.     The Charter of Journalistic Ethics

8.     Adjara Public Broadcaster and Radio

9.     Georgian Public Broadcaster

10.  TV Pirveli

11.  Express News

12.  FaxInterNews

13.  Artarea TV

14.  Studio Monitor

15.  Georgian Times Radio

16.  Fact Check

17.  Radio Green Wave

18.  AT.ge

19.  Media Development Foundation

20.  Border Zone

21.  NNLE Media and Communication Educational and Research Center

22.  Radio Voice of Abkhazia

23.  Radio Dardimandi

24.  Alternative Professional Union of Adjara Public Broadcaster

25.  Media Holding Hereti: Radio Hereti FM102.8, Radio Tbilisi FM93.5

26.  Radio Citrus FM97.3

27.  Radio Dzveli Kalaki

28.  Georgian Regional Radio Network

29.  TV Company New

30.  OC Media

31.  TOK TV

32.  Radio Holding Fortuna

33.  SOVA

34.  Batumelebi

35.  Newsreport

36.  On.ge

37.  Netgazeti

38.  InterPressNews.ge

39.  Blog SocReactive

40.  TSpress.ge

41.  Radio Atinati

42.  Metronome.ge

43.  Publika

44.  Civil.ge

45.  Internews-Georgia

46.  Media.ge

47.  Openrustavi.ge

48.  Palitranews

49.  Radio Palitra

50.  Radio Marneuli

51.  Euronews Georgia

52.  FirstNews.ge

53.  Kutaisi Today

54.  Speqtri.ge

55.  Cnews

56.  Media Holding "Qronika +"

57.  Droa.ge

58.  Accentnews.ge

59.  Popmusic.ge

60.  Popsport.com

61.  Gurianews.ge

62.  Eco-Fact

63.  Media rights

64.  Journalism Resource Center

65.  Agrogaremo TV

66.  Alliance of Regional Broadcasters

67.  Radio Imedi

68.  Commersant

69.  JAMNews

70.  Reginfo.ge

71.  DailyInfo.ge

72.  News Agency Front News

73.  Front News International Kiev Office

74.  ifact.ge

75.  ipress.ge

76.  TV 25

77.  Guria TV

78.  Metskhre talgha

79.  okribanews

80.  newpost

81.  pia.ge

82.  digest.ge

83.  funtime.ge

84.  tbiliselebi.ge

85.  exclusivetv.ge

86.  GHN

87.  geodigest.ge

88.  Europetime.eu

89.  Odishi TV

90.  Guria Moambe

91.  Dianews

92.  report.ge

93.  AliQ Media

94.  Ambebi.ge

95.  Info Rustavi

96.  Mega TV

97.  DiaNews

98.  Radio Mosaic

99.  TV Dia

100. NewPress.ge

101. Timerge

102. Radio WW

103. Chemi Kharagauli

104. QvemoQartli.ge

105. Sknews.ge

106. Livepress

Photo Credit - Mediachecker.ge