Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Anti-torture Propaganda Humiliates the Image of Georgian Policemen

December 17, 2004

Anti-torture Propaganda Humiliates the Image of Georgian Policemen

Soviet Methods of Pressure Continue –Advertisements against Torture has Been Forbidden

On December 16 antimonopoly service forbad showing the advertisements against torture on TV. The decision was taken after the Interior Ministry of Georgia insisted to stop the advertisement as, according to them, it humiliates the image of police. The advertisement, that was “temporarily stopped”, used to provide society with the information that torture is prohibited by the Georgian legislation. It was done in the framework of the project of the NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights” supported by the European Union. Government, humiliated by the advertisement, still continues pressure on the society with the old Soviet methods..

According to Nana Kakabadze, the chairperson of the NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights”, antimonopoly service took the decision of stopping the advertisements against torture based on the letter from the Interior Ministry of Georgia, which states that the mentioned advertisement violates the rights of the police and humiliates their image.

The purpose of the mentioned advertisement was to provide the society with the information that torture is prohibited by the law and that there is a specific article in the Criminal Code of Georgia (335th article) envisaging from 4 to 10 years imprisonment in case of torture.

The advertisement that suddenly appeared to be the humiliating for the Georgian government was prepared by the NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights” and was shown on TV during a year. As the members of the organization say, the price of the advertisement was paid till February - until the end of the project, but “temporarily stopping” of the advertisement may last for a long time. According to Nana Kakabadze, TV companies used to permanently exercise pressure by the government because of the advertisement – there were several phone calls, unofficial statements in order to force TV companies to refuse showing this advertisement. Anti-torture advertisement was shown by the “Imedi TV” and “Kavkasia” and according to Kakabadze, the First Channel refused to show.

As Kakabadze told us she plans the meting with the representatives of the European Union to discuss the matter. She also mentioned that all the legal resources will be used to recover the advertisement.

News