Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori
After the TV-Company “Trialeti” dedicated most part of its news time to the re-transmitting of the programs of the TV-Company “Maestro” and talk-show “Hot Line”, the journalists and founders of the TV-Company became victims of various oppressions. The last incident occurred on October 7, 2010 in Gori center in front of the TBC bank in Stalin square. The director general of the TV-Company John Nanetashvili was ruthlessly beaten by the patrol police officers in public.
After medical consultation, the doctors concluded that John Nanetashvili had brain concussion and injuries on the backbone. The diagnosis was made late at night; before that John Nanetashvili and his attorney unsuccessfully tried to carry out forensic expertise. The expert was not in his office.
Leaving the hospital, John Nanetashvili was taken to the police station by the deputy head of the police department Demur Tsomaia and other officers of the Gori district department of the MIA. Reportedly, preliminary investigation was launched on the physical assault of John Nanetashvili. He felt bad when leaving the police station and could not participate in the evening program of the TV-Company for what he apologized to the representatives of the political parties, journalists and human rights defenders who also were going to take part in it.
As for the incident, it occurred at 12:15 pm on October 7. Consequently, John Nanetashvili and two officers of the patrol police Tariel Sarauli and Ilia Gavasheli opposed each other at the trial. The trial started at 2:00 pm. Judge Davit Papuashvili started to interrogate police officer Tariel Sarauli. He said they stopped John Nanetashvili for speaking on the mobile phone.
“My colleague and I were patrolling when we noticed a driver speaking on the mobile phone in the car which was moving in front of us. We stopped the car and requested the driver to produce driving license and corresponding documents. We clarified to him that he had breached driving rules and drew up the protocol. Afterwards, the driver got out of the car, started to curse and insult us. We called upon him to stop interference in our activities but he continued shouting and even threatened us with creating problems. Finally we decided to detain him but he resisted. He was stronger than we are and we managed to detain him only after one more crew of the patrol police assisted us,” said Tariel Sarauli at the trial.
John Nanetashvili recalled the incident at the trial in details. “I left the TV-Company by my car; I was going to the TBC bank in Stalin Square. I stopped at the traffic light and my mobile phone rang. I replied to the phone call only for one minute while I was standing at the traffic light and asked the caller to call me later. I did not notice the patrol car moving alongside me. Apparently they were chasing me. I was almost at the bank when they requested me to stop the car. They requested my documents and explained I was stopped because of speaking on the phone. I told them I did not talk too long and just told the caller to call me back later. The patrol police officers replied to me very rudely and threatened with detention unless I stopped speaking. But I told them I had not breached the traffic rules. I expressed my discontent about the injustice against us – we were fined and oppressed every day. One more crew arrived at that moment like they were already prepared for my detention. They started shouting at me. I told them they could detain me if they wished it and held out my hands; I sat in the patrol car without any resistance. Four police officers rushed to my car, dragged me out of it, pushed me down to the ground and ironed only one hand; they tried to pull my second hand too but the four men cold not pull it out since I was lying on it and I could not move it. I urged the policemen to stop pulling my hand; they almost broke my hands. I have their foot-prints on my suit. It was well-staged provocation against me.”
Having returned from the negotiation room, the judge repeated the details from the testimonies of the patrol police officers in his judgment and pointed out that their allegations were authentic and fair. Consequently, “in accordance to the Article 173 of the Administrative Code of Georgia fine of 400 GEL was imposed on John Nanetashvili in favor of the state budget.”
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