Interior Minister Comments on Dismissal of Spokesman

In a brief comment made on March 7 Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said that he sacked the Ministry’s spokesman Guram Donadze because the latter did not have good relations with journalists. He declined to comment on allegations that Donadze was supposedly linked to the Girgvliani murder case.

“I hope that the new spokesman will have better relations with journalists and our relations will be easier and will foster better cooperation between [the Ministry and journalists],” Merabishvili said. Zurab Gvenetadze, an employee of the Ministry’s press office, is currently serving as acting spokesman.

Apart from Donadze, several other top officials from the Interior Ministry were also allegedly linked to the murder case of Sandro Girgvliani.

Opposition parliamentarians warned that Interior Minister sack these officials, including Data Akhalaia, chief of the Department of Constitutional Security and Vasil Sanodze, chief of the general inspection of the Interior Ministry, before evening of March 7, otherwise they threatened to launch a campaign for Merabishvili’s resignation. Opposition MPs also demanded the arrest of Data Akhalaia’s deputy – Oleg Melnikov. The opposition claims that Melnikov allegedly was among those men who brutally beat Sandro Girgvliani to death.

The Interior Minister also said nothing about this demand by the opposition parliamentarians, nor did the Minister not comment about his talks with Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze, which took place earlier on March 7.