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TV Channel 25 Cut Off from the Cable Television Due to the Unpleasant Scenes for Ministry of Internal Affairs

May 30, 2011

Maka Malakmadze, Adjara

The programs of TV Channel 25 are no longer provided for the customers of cable television Era. The fact of cut-off is explained due to the technical problems. However, the TV channel is refused to be provided with technical help.

The technical problem started when the TV Company covered the material which showed the recourse of Nino Burjanadze’s escort from different side.

On May 27th the subscribers of the cable television Era could not see the programs of the TV Channel 25. As the cable television stated to the TV channel, this was caused by a technical problem. However, the problem has still not been solved. Moreover, the TV Channel was refused to be provided by the help of engineers. The founder of TV Channel 25 relates this problem to their work.

Merab Merkviladze, founder of TV Channel 25: “We try to contact the leadership of the cable television, but in vain. Merab Metreveli does not answer our calls. We also contacted another director Sulkhan Gogiberidze. But he said that he is abroad. I asked him to ascertain this problem. We have been covering the events developed in Tbilisi since the night of May 25th. The night scenes taken by our stuff group was disseminated in different media outlets and internet. These scenes show how Nino Burjanadze’s escort passed by the different recourse and the death of the member of Special Forces is also covered from the different recourse. The current developments suspiciously coincide with the scenes disseminated by us. On the second day after the dissemination of these scenes, on May 27th, the cable TV cut us off.”

On May 27th, the NGOs of Adjara and the representatives of the opposition parties addressed the cable TV with a joint statement: “Please, eradicate this problem for May 30th and ensure the dissemination of TV Channel 25 in your cable network. Or else, we will start campaign calling on your subscribers to refuse your service.”

Human Rights Center vainly tried to contact the director of TV Company Era Merab Metreveli. Nobody answered the phone calls. Neither the office of the cable TV answered the telephone calls on the number 7 61 77.

TV Channel 25 is an independent channel and it covers part of Guria Region except for Adjara. It has the audience of approximately 300 thousand people. The TV channel had problems during the rule of Aslan Abashidze as well. On November 7 of 2007, the units of Special Forces raided the TV Channel 25. It had to stop working for several days back then.

The TV channel is still cut off from the broadcasting of the cable television.

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