Head of the Interior Ministry’s Department Threaten the Journalist to Detain

Yesterday, Shota Bezhanishvili, the head of the interior Ministry’s Gurjaani Department threatened Gela Mtivlishvili, the journalist for the Human Rights Center.

Accoeding to Mtivlishvili, citizens informed him over the phone that, though they had paid the electricity bills, they had had the electricity cut off. They asked the journalist to spread information regarding the situation.
The journalist, having arrived at the place, got in touch with the deputy governor of the Gurjaani Municipality, Valeri Vardosanidze. “I told him that the people were furious and they were going to switch the electricity on themselves. In order to avoid the fact, I asked him to supply the people with electricity. Vardosanidze promised me to meet the people. He arrived at the place together with the policemen. I do not know what Vardosanidze had told the police, the deputy head of the police department asked me to make a report. I refused him and after that Shota Bezhanishvili threatened me. He told me “I do not care about your human rights, be careful, you might get into an isolator. Mind, that recent events were limit for you too.”

The journalist pointed out that Bezhanishvili has close relationships with Temur Anjafaridze, the head of the Interior Ministry’s Kakehti Department. Mtivlishvili connects the threats with the article he has published in the newspaper several days ago. In the article he wrote that the accused and a former head of the Kakheti Criminal Police, Gocha Nazhghaidze, blamed Anjafaridze for drug dealing.

The Human Right Center is deeply concerned about the situation and recalls the corresponding bodies to react on the fact.