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Levan Kubaneishvili Does Not Listen to Professionals

May 6, 2009

 
Levan Kubaneishvili
Irakli Managadze

Public Defender Sozar Subari sent a special letter to Levan Kubaneishvili, director general of the Public Broadcasting (PB) , to attend a meeting. The topic of the discussion at the meeting was the situation about the PB. Kubaneishvili did attend the meeting. Later he did not answer the phone calls of the Public Defender.

Two days before the meeting the Public Defender’s office faxed invitation letters for 6 people at the Chancellery of the PB. Levan Kubaneishvili, Khatuna Berdzenishvili, head of news room at the PB, anchor Inga Grigolia, Levan Gakheladze, chairman of the Board of Trustees and others were invited to the meeting. However none of them attended the meeting.

Journalist Ia Antadze, Director of the Radio “Utsnobi” Basa Janikashvili, Publicist Lasha Bakradze, head of Studio “Reporter” Vakhtang Komakhidze, MP Giorgi Akhvlediani and representatives of the NGOs attended the meeting. Before the discussion the Public Defender condemned the harassment of journalists.

“I am extremely astonished at the physical assaults of journalists. Today, on May 5, an incident happened again. Nika Avaliani, a journalist for the PB was physically assaulted by the demonstrators in front of the PB building. I call upon the Minister of Internal Affairs immediately to investigate this incident as well as previous ones. A syndrome of impunity and failure to investigate similar cases encourages people to commit similar crimes.

Sozar Subari said: “I am concerned about the negligence of the MIA toward crime. they not only avoid investigating the facts of violence, but do not react to those facts when they occur in front of the policemen.”

Journalists assessed the incident. Ia Antadze condemned the physical assault of journalists but said that journalists should not provoke similar incidents.

After the statements were made, the meeting continued in the closed room. The attendees of the meeting suggested initiatives to alleviate the tense situation regarding the PB. They had different opinions though everybody agreed that the situation must not continue like as it is.

Before the meeting ended Sozar Subari tried to get in touch with Levan Kubaneishvili. The Director General of the PB soon replied to the Public Defender that he could not come because he was busy. He added also that the Ombudsman’s office should have informed him about the meeting at least 3 days beforehand.

Subari was very surprised. He said: “I cannot understand what can be more important for Kubaneishvili than the tense situation about the PB. We officially invited the director general and chairperson of the board of trustees to the meeting.”

After the meeting ended Ia Antadze and Sozar Subari once more tried to call Kubaneishvili but the director general did not reply to their calls.

Later it was found out that Kubaneishvili tried to invite to negotiate at his office the attendees of the meeting at the Public Defender’s office. The representatives of the civil society had chosen several topics on which they needed to talk with Kubaneishvili. They expected meeting to be fruitful and they intended to ask the director general had to promise to change the information policy. Late at night, Kubaneishvili called the Public Defender and postponed the meeting until the next day.

One thing is clear. Mr. Kubaneishvili avoids meeting with respectable people. We doubt he is waiting for directives from somebody higher up.  We would kindly suggest Mr. Levan to meet experienced and honest people--he should accept their suggestions and change the policy of the channel because the situation about the PB is getting worse.


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