Public Servant Oppresses the Journalist of Guria News

To the President of Georgia,
To the chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia,
To the Public Defender of Georgia,
To international organizations operating in Georgia,
To foreign embassies in Georgia,
To Guria Regional Governor,
To political parties,
To Law enforcing bodies,
To the representatives of bodies of local self-governance,
To our colleagues,
To our readers, society,
To everyone for whom security of journalists and freedom of speech in important!

Appeal of Newspaper Guria News Editorial Staff

Newspaper Guria News has been serving the society and the country devotedly and with adherence to international journalistic norms for many years. Therefore, the newspaper had never lacked love and support of the readers. We, the employees of Guria News have been ready for the obstacles and impediments that accompany the profession of journalist from the very beginning. We try to oppose financial crisis as well as the restriction on freedom of speech with our hard work and do not complain but now we face the attempt of oppressing our journalists!
Anton Khundadze, a public servant and the chairperson of Chokhatauri District Council now threatens our journalists openly!

Conflict with Anton Khundadze is not a novelty to us. He became very angry when we published journalistic survey on his appointment on the position of the chairperson of District Council in suspicious circumstances (in fact according to Georgian legislation chairperson of a district council is elected by the council members). He started struggling with us using immoral methods. Now he threatens our journalists with assault: On January 20, 2009 Anton Khundadze called Giorgi Girkelidze, the journalist of Ozurgeti Department of newspaper Guria News that published a critical article on Anton Khundadze. He threatened the journalist that he would clear up the matter with him like men do: “I will not forgive you this. I will arrive in Ozurgeti soon and tear your newspaper over your head! We shall talk as a man to man and not as a chairperson of a district council to a journalist!”

Before that, Nato Gogelia requested information about composition of Chokhatauri district budget and information about the origin of the office car Khundadze was using. The journalist had full right to request this public information based on Chapter III of the General Administrative Code of Georgia. Khundadze did not provide requested information. Moreover, he insulted the journalist and treated her cynically. Consequently, we covered this fact in our newspaper in the issue of January 19, 2009. Anton Khundadze called Nato Gogelia after this and threatened her. He said that if Nato was a man “he would clear up a matter with her like a man with man.” He also said that he would “take care of Girkelidze too.”

We will file a complaint in the court on the fact of violation of Chapter III of the General Administrative Code of Georgia by all means. If our appeal is upheld it means that the governmental reforms are implemented in reality if not, it will mean that the rules  remain on paper only but before that we demand from the addressees of our appeal to protect the immunity of journalists!

The President of Georgia said in one of his TV statements that “the government must be afraid of people and not on the opposite. The government must render accounts to the people and not on the contrary.” We demand that you adhere to these words. We refuse to live in the constant myth of democracy!
 

Editorial staff of newspaper Guria News