NEWS

Georgian NGOs Conduct Meeting in Washington

BY KETEVAN SKHIRTLADZE

The visit, which ran from July 12 to July 16, saw the following non-governmental organizations taking part: representatives of the Open Society Foundations, Transparency International Georgia, ISFED, The Economic Policy Research Center, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation), and Nino Zhizhilashvili, Dean of Caucasus School of Media at Caucasus University, and host of the TV Formula Talk Show.

Transparency International Georgia issued a statement regarding the meetings with representatives of the US Department of State and the National Security Council in Washington:

“Within the advocacy visit to Washington, our Executive Director, Eka Gigauri, and her Deputy Giorgi Oniani, along with leaders of the partner organizations and journalist Nino Zhizhilasvhili, conducted the meeting with American diplomats working on Georgian issues and discussed the ongoing processes in our country, the attacks on journalists, the death of the cameraman and the response of the state, the Russian infl uence and disinformation, as well as the situation in the justice system and election-related issues.”

EU Amb: Good to See Zaza Gakheladze Returning to his Family

EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell has responded to the release of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze from the custody of the occupation regime, saying that illegal detentions are inadmissible.

“Good to see Zaza Gakheladze returning to his family today. Illegal detentions are inadmissible. Glad that the EU via EUMM Georgia contributed to this positive outcome, through the Hotline and IPRM meetings,” the Ambassador tweeted.

Gakheladze returned to his family after crossing the so-called border (ABL) in Ergneti on July 14. He was met by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri.

The Russian military detained Zaza Gakheladze, who resides in the village of Kvemo Chala, near the occupation line, on July 11, 2020, near Skhvilo Fortress in Kaspi Municipality. During the arrest, the Georgian citizen was shot in the leg.

On February 5, Tskhinvali’s “court” sentenced Zaza Gakheladze to 12 years and 6 months in prison.

In June, Gakheladze’s family members held a demonstration in Kvemo Chala. Family members had previously planned to hold a protest rally and block the road, but canceled their plans after the Georgian Patriarch, Ilia II, appealed to the Russian Patriarchate to be involved in the release of Gakheladze. Gakheladze was pardoned by so-called South Ossetian President Anatoly Bibilov.

Mass Violence against Media by Tbilisi Pride Opponents Results in Tragedy and Int’l Condemnation

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LEKSO LASHKARAVA’S DEATH

Sadly, the violence resulted in the loss of a young life when on July 11, TV Pirveli cameraman Lekso Lashkarava, who was severely beaten by opponents of Tbilisi Pride on July 5 while performing his duties and protecting a fellow journalist from their aggression, was found dead at his own home by his mother. Despite resistance from his family, his body was forcefully taken for forensic medical examination by police.

The next day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs presented the interim report of the chemical examination, based on which, drugs were said to have been found in the samples taken from his body.

“A forensic examination was appointed to determine the immediate cause of death, involving an independent expert hired by the family. Based on the chemical examination report, the samples taken from the body contained the drugs morphine, codeine, tetrahydrocannabinol, pentin and monoacetylmorphine. Based on the examination, the cause of death might have been a drug overdose. However, this conclusion is not fi nal,” the MIA said.

We will have to wait another month for the fi nal conclusion from the forensic examination to be announced.

Five persons have been detained and charged so far for the physical and verbal abuse of the TV Pirveli camera crew. On July 13, Davit Kutaladze, one of the most aggressive radicals accused of assaulting Lekso Lashkarava and journalist Miranda Baghaturia on July 5, was sentenced to imprisonment as a measure of restraint. The detainee pleaded innocent.

The MIA says an investigation is underway to fi nd and charge other perpetrators.

THE PRIME MINISTER’S VIEW

Following Lekso Lashkarava’s death, a number of protest rallies organized by media representatives and NGOs have been held in front of Parliament. The next rally is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 17, again in front of the parliament building.

Demonstrators demand the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who, with his anti-Pride statements, encouraged the hate groups; the resignation of his cabinet of ministers, and the arrest of all the perpetrators who attacked Lekso and other media employees.

“First of all, what does it mean when they say parade?” the PM asked on July 12. “I know only one parade [on Rustaveli]: our army parade. Other activities may be held to express a different opinion at any other location. Police offered the LGBT community another location.

“The police prevented everything. When 95% of our population demonstratively opposes the propaganda parade, we must all [listen to them and] obey. This is the opinion of our people and we, as a government elected by the people, must obey. Police arrested the perpetrators. We will hold all the perpetrators accountable,” Garibashvili said.

Despite the mass protests, not only the PM, but also a number of clergyman have refused to change their rhetoric. One now-infamous case this week was the outspoken head of the Vani-Baghdadi Diocese, Metropolitan Anthony (Bulukhia), who said that the journalists deserved to be beaten.

He verbally confronted media representatives and blamed them for Lashkarava’s death.

“You encourage debauchery! You abusers, you’re propagating – you are responsible for this death,” he told them.

MEDIA BLACKOUT

On July 14, four TV companies, TV Pirveli; Formula, Mtavari TV, and Caucasus, stopped broadcasting for 24 hours in protest at Lashkarava’s death and the attacks on media representatives on July 5. For 24 hours, the screens of all four TV stations showed only a black background with the names of the journalists and cameramen who were injured during the July 5 events.

“Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili should resign! All offenders should be punished!” the TV companies demand.

THE OPPOSITION TRY TO SEIZE THE MOMENT

Amid the diffi cult and tense situation in the country, there was confrontation also in Parliament in recent days. On July 12, opposition groups broke into the parliamentary session hall, occupied the Speaker’s seat, and displayed Georgian and EU fl ags, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Representatives of media organizations and civil society, including Vato Tsereteli and Vakho Sanaia, along with some opposition MPs, broke into the session hall, an act which was followed by physical and verbal confrontations. Media representatives noted they wanted to ask the MPs questions about Lashkarava’s death, however, they were refused entry to Parliament by security services. In the end, the security service of the Parliament forced the opposition lawmakers to leave the session hall, allowing majority MPs to hold an extraordinary sitting.

INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION

Georgia’s foreign partners, among them the US Embassy, EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell, Senator Jim Risch, Congressman Adam Kinzinger, and NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai, responded to these developments, expressing grief at the death of the media employee and condemning the overall violence. Sanctions have also been suggested by foreign partners as being considered.

On July 14, the US Department of State reminded Georgia’s leaders and law enforcement of their responsibility to protect all of those exercising their constitutional rights.

“We remind them of their responsibility to protect journalists exercising freedom of the press. And we encourage all Georgians, including Georgian offi cials, to publicly condemn this violence, which has no place in a democracy,” Ned Price, Department Spokesperson, said on Wednesday.

Asked if there are talks on imposing personal sanctions against those offi cials in the Georgian Government who were directly responsible for the violence on July 5, Ned Price said the US Department is closely following the situation.

“We have a number of tools to hold accountable those responsible in some way for human rights abuses, for violence around the world. Sanctions are indeed one of those tools. As you know, we don’t preview sanctions before we enact them. But we are following the situation very closely, and we are committed to seeing to it that those responsible for this are held accountable. When it comes to all political actors in Georgia, again, we urge them to very publicly condemn this violence. When it comes to the Georgian Government, I would reiterate our calls for a thorough investigation of this that leads to the perpetrators of this horrifi c crime being brought to justice,” Price stated.

Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the Georgian Dream, announced on Thursday that the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is to return to Georgia on July 19. "We will provide Charles Michel with full information regarding the events of July 5, on what risks were expected, how the law enforcement agencies acted. We will provide information on everything, including how the state has reacted since the violence- further reactions, specifi c arrests, and investigations that are currently underway. We will provide full information about this to Charles Michel, as well as other partners," Kobakhidze said.