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Journalist for the Newspaper “Batumelebi” Was Not Allowed to the Municipality Meeting

July 24, 2007

Emzar Diasamidze, a journalist for the Adjara based independent newspaper “Batumelebi” (Batumi dwellers), was not allowed to attend the meeting of the Adjara Authority and he was kicked out from the administrative building before the meeting started.

 The journalist said that Irakli Cheishvili, the head of the Division for the Media Relations of the Department for Protocol and Media Relations within the Administration of Adjara Autonomous Republic, refused him to attend the meeting because the journalist was not accredited. “As soon as I tried to record his comments on Dictaphone, representatives of the Security Service of the Administrative Building kicked me out of the building under Cheishvili’s order,” said the journalist.

It is noteworthy that the meeting was open and correspondents for the Adjara TV Company, Adjara Radio and newspaper “Adjara were allowed to attend the discussion; the above-mentioned media sources are funded from the budget.

The Human Rights Center (HRIDC) was explained at the editorial office of the newspaper “Batumelebi” that in January of 2007 they had applied to the Adjara Authority to accredit the journalist and photographer for their newspaper; though in vain. The reply from the authority stated that “in order to provide operative assistance regarding the Media Relation issues, corresponding divisions are established within the Administration of the Adjara Autonomous Republic, Ministries and subordinate departments of the government. The newly established divisions will support you to get immediate information about the corresponding issues.”

Newspaper “Batumelebi” has never been allowed to the meetings of Adjara Authority in 2007.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Adjara

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