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“I Will Hang Up the Journalist In Tetritsklebi Forest”

December 29, 2010
Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Commissary of the Telavi district administration in Tetritsklebi village Giorgi Tsiklauri insulted the correspondent of the Kakheti News Center Natia Danelishvli and threatened her with death. “Why are you writing what I have not said? Apologize to me or I will make you regret everything…” Giorgi Tsiklauri said in his phone-conversation with the editor of the Kakheti News Center “I will hang the journalist in the forest of Tetritsklebi.”

On November 5 and 11, 2010 Giorgi Tsiklauri sent insulting messages to the journalist on the social network “Odnoklasniki.ru”; he cursed her and demanded apologies from her but did not explain why. On December 15, the village commissary sent messages to the journalist on the social network again.

-Why did you write in the article what I have not said?

-Remind me who are you and I will answer your question…

-Apologize to me or I promise you will regret!

-Tell me who you are and I will reply to you…

-I have never seen such a stupid journalist in my life… you will have hard time”

On December 27, late at night, Natia Danelishvili informed the editorial board about threats. After we found out who Giorgi Tsiklauri was, we called his phone number.

-Who allowed you to curse and threat a journalist?

-I will hang her up in the forest of Tetristklebi; then let us speak about her rights.

-What annoyed you?

-She did not stop writing about us. Initially she wrote about an academician; then about the Telavi district governor; she is visiting our village and publishes some nasty articles about us.”

In 2010 Natia Danelishvili prepared several articles about Tetristsklebi village. She wrote about the problems of local people to pay electricity bills; about unreasonable expenditure of the funds allocated from the State Rural Program, etc. On October 8, 2010 the Kakheti News Center published an article “Academician Blames Telavi District Governor in Seizure of His Plots”. The academician Aleksandre Arabuli alleged in the article that district governor Vasil Davitashvili seized a plot of 2 hectares from him and assigned it to his relative. The author of this article is Natia Danelishvili.

Telavi district governor Vasil Davitashvili: “Giorgi Tsiklauri is a brave man.”
 
-I have not asked you whether he is brave man or not. He has no right to threat a journalist.

-He is from Khevsureti region (mountainous region of Georgia) and so he is a jittery person. When writing articles about him, you should take this fact into consideration.

-What do you mean, Mr. Vasil? Does the origin of a person make any difference when writing an article?

 -I have told you he is a brave man. He is a jittery person and you should be careful with him.”

Later, Giorgi Tsiklauri was dismissed from the position of the commissary of the Telavi district administration in Tetritsklebi village because of insulting the correspondent of the Kakheti News Center Natia Danelishvili.

Spokesperson of the Kakheti regional governor Khatuna Guliashvili said the district and regional governors studied the situation and decided to dismiss Giorgi Tsiklauri from the position.

Head of the office of the Telavi district administration Medea Kekelia said Tsiklauri wrote resignation letter voluntarily.

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