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Official of Tbilisi City Hall Interferes in Professional Activities of Journalists

May 19, 2010
The chief specialist of the monitoring department of youth cases at the Tbilisi City Hall Akaki Sturua insulted the journalist of the newspaper Guria News Zhana Megrelishvili and interfered in her professional activities.

The incident happened on May 3 in Ozurgeti when the candidates of the National Movement were introduced in Ozurgeti, Guria region. Sturua did not allow the journalist to take photos at the meeting; insulted and cursed both Megrelishvili and the newspaper Guria News in public.

Although several tens of the former and current officials of the local authority witnessed the incident, nobody reacted on it; nobody tried to stop the young employee of the Tbilisi City Hall.

According to unchecked information, Akaki Sturua was sent to Ozurgeti for the pre-election campaign; he is a protégé of the high-ranking officials and if he is active enough, the government promised him to appoint on the position of the Ozurgeti district governor.

“It is pity and alarming when a person insults a journalist and a media outlet; but even worse when the governmental official does it. The government is guarantee of execution of the justice and officials shall be example for others how to respect the rights of journalists and freedom of expression. When something similar happens, it should cause public astonishment,” stated the representatives of the Ozurgeti office of the Young Lawyers Association.

The Ozurgeti district office of the GYLA calls upon everybody and particularly governmental officials to refrain from restricting the rights of journalists and media outlets.

Association of Georgian Regional Media protests the fact and will inform the society and observing missions about any facts of oppression on journalists and media outlets.

Shorena Ghlonti, Guria

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