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

shooting the incident; suddenly the activist of the ruling party twisted the hand of the
journalist and seized camera. Natalia Sarkisashvili tried to get back the camera but the
activist hit her several times; the journalist was not seriously injured during the
incident.
According to the ICK, Guram Gurgenishvili works at a budget funded organization.
Giorgi Botkoveli, coordinator of the National Movement‟s Kakheti regional office,
said their activist would not have interfered in the journalist‟s activist. “I do not know
what happened; but I definitely know that our activist would never have interfered in
the professional activities of a journalist. Maybe the incident really happened, but he
was not our activist,” Botkoveli said. 20
10. In Akhmeta on the night of August 22, Studio GNS journalists Vasil Dabrundashvili
and Bacho Buliskeria were beaten by people connected with Gia Lortkipanidze,
assistant of Ministry of Internal Affairs, and his brother Davit, the head of the
Constitutional Security Department (CSD) in Khaketi region.
The journalists, from the Nana Lejava program Weekly Report, were trying to prepare
a report on the issue of illegal deforestation and illegal sawmills in Akhmeta. Osiko
and Nodar Chichiashvili, father and son, who own one of the sawmills physically
assaulted the journalists. According to Vasil Dabrundashvili, they were assaulted
when they were trying to record the area around the sawmill and illegally cut down
trees. 21
Motivated Oppressions where governmental Officials directly patipicipated
1. On July 30th Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) released statement
regarding the confiscation of property of 15 bank accounts of members of the
20 http://humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=15344&lang=eng
21 http://humanrights.ge/index.php?a=main&pid=15410&lang=geo
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