Moscow Condemns Attack on Russian Journalists in Georgia
The Russian Embassy to Georgia issued a statement on September 5, in which it expressed protest regarding the attack against journalists from the Russian television station NTV in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti, which occurred on September 3.
A team from NTV was traveling in the Kakheti region in an attempt to interview local Georgian villagers about their opinion regarding the erotic movie ?Yulia?, parodying Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko. The movie was shot under the sponsorship of the Russian ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party, led by MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
In the village of Naparaeuli local residents, including the Gamgebeli (Head) of the village, started insulting the journalists after they asked the locals to express their opinion about the movie. Some locals also damaged the video camera of the TV crew.
The Russian Embassy sent a protest note to the Georgian Foreign Ministry demanding that immediate steps be taken to punish those guilty and compensate those affected for moral damage and material losses.
?The incident proves once again that the crime rate committed against foreign citizens is increasing in Georgia,? the statement issued by the Russian Embassy reads. There has been no response from the Georgian side.
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