Investigation Launched Into Alleged Interference with POSTV Journalist’s Work

On June 13, the Prosecutor’s Office announced the launch of a criminal investigation into alleged unlawful interference with a journalist’s work in a June 12 incident near the Tbilisi City Court, where supporters of detained protester Mate Devidze confronted Mariam Nebieridze, a journalist working for the Georgian Dream mouthpiece POSTV channel.

The confrontation came amid rising tensions just minutes after the four-and-a-half-year prison sentence was announced in the case of Mate Devidze, a 21-year-old protester detained during an early-morning rally dispersal on November 19, 2024. In POSTV’s video, which does not show the start of the confrontation, a journalist is seen being pushed away by people in the courtyard. They shout at her to “go away,” calling her a “slave” and more. “Are you proud to be holding POSTV’s microphone?!” a woman asks the journalist already outside the courtyard.

“The POSTV crew was physically assaulted by radical opposition activists,” POSTV wrote in a Facebook post, sharing a video footage. The channel immediately contacted the Prosecutor’s Office to begin an investigation into the alleged crime.

POSTV, known for its openly pro-GD stance, frequently discredits opposition figures, civil society activists, and ongoing protests. The channel is owned by Viktor Japaridze, an MP from the GD’s offshoot People’s Power party. Japaridze acquired a majority stake in the station in 2022.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation was launched by the Special Investigative Service (SIS) under Article 154 of Georgia’s Criminal Law. On May 19, SIS, tasked with probing officials’ misconduct, said it would be absorbed by the Prosecutor’s Office. Until then, the agency has been a separate investigative body, established in 2022 under the EU-Georgia Association Agenda.

Hundreds of protesters, including dozens of journalists, were assaulted by police during the November and December 2024 protests, though no official has been held accountable.

Also Read:

• 08/12/2024 – Brutal Attack on Opposition Members and TV Pirveli Crew as Repression Intensifies
• 29/11/2024 – Watchdog: Police Target Journalists, Many Injured
• 06/08/2024 – Prosecutor General Charges Vitali Guguchia with Obstructing Journalistic Activities

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