Intermediate Report Research of Pre-election Period - The Human ...

eporting. “Everything is over, close that, stop talking” the woman said. Her friend
also tried to hinder journalist‟s activities by putting hands on the camera-lens. 18
8. On August 2, a National Movement activist physically and verbally assaulted
information agency Info-9 journalist, Sulkhan Meskhidze, in Khulo district. As
Meskhidze states, he heard from a local resident that the activist‟s name is Mamuli
Mgeladze. Mgeladze works in a hotel that belongs to the vice speaker of the Georgian
parliament Anzor Bolkvadze.
As the journalist states, Mgeladze was dressed in a t-shirt with the slogan “I Love
Georgia”. He assaulted the journalist and tried to disrupt an opposition meeting.
“The incident happened near Khulo municipality building when I was covering
Georgian Dream‟s meeting with voters. 10 young people came dressed in red t-shirts.
They were shouting “I Love Georgia” and tried to disrupt the meeting. I went to the
person who was shouting the loudest and started asking questions. He hit the
microphone several times and then assaulted me both physically and verbally”,
Meskhidze said.
Sulkhan Meskhidze states that even though the incident was going on near the
municipality building where police office is located, they did not respond to the
incident. 19
9. Activist of the United National Movement‟s Gurjaani office Guram Gurgenishvili
physically assaulted journalist Natalia Sarkisashvili of the Information Center of
Kakheti when she was performing professional activities; he hindered his work and
seized video-camera.
Journalist was video-recording citizens victimized by natural disaster in Velistsikhe
village who complained about the government. National Movement‟s activist
approached the journalist at that time and put hand on her camera. The journalist
called upon him to stop interference in her professional activities and continued
18 http://www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=15281&lang=geo
19 http://www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=15280&lang=geo
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