Georgian News Roundup
The main news carried by Civil.ge is the sentencing of Shalva Ramishvili, co-founder of the Tbilisi-based private TV Channel 202, to three months pre-trial detention. He is charged with attempting to blackmail Koba Bekauri, a parliamentarian from the ruling National Movement party.
According to his lawyer, Ramishvili is now on hunger strike and says that he is innocent of the charges against him. Interestingly, staff at 202 TV refused to allow Georgian police to enter their offices because they lacked a search warrant.
However, several other journalists from the “Reporter” organization say that Bakauri continues to intimidate them.
Journalists from “Reporter” were working on an investigation into MP Koba Bekauri’s alleged wrongdoings related with the customs terminal “Opiza.” This terminal, according to this investigative reporting, is owned by MP Bekauri and currently rented by the Georgian Customs Service. “Reporter” has a contract with the 202 television according to which the investigative stories produced by the organization are aired by the station.
The Georgian press view the case as a politically motivated attack on the independent media in the republic and that it is Bekauri who should be investigated. Meanwhile, the Armenian Foreign Minister opposes the construction of a new railway that will bypass Armenia because of its strained relations and closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
On a more cultural note, I’m looking forward to seeing the Young Georgian Lolitaz play in Yerevan at the Rock ‘n People festival. They sound great.
