Ethics Charter: Threat to “Mtis Ambebi” Editor Requires Timely Investigation

The non-governmental organization “Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics” is urging the Special Investigation Service to promptly and efficiently investigate the reported threats against Gela Mtivlishvili, the editor of the online publication “Mtis Ambebi”.

The Ethics Charter issued a statement calling for action in response to an audio recording shared by Gela Mtivlishvili on Facebook on May 24. In the recording, an unidentified man insists that Mtivlishvili remove a journalistic investigation into “Georgian Manganese” from the “Mtis Ambebi” website, threatening to kill Mtivlishvili if he doesn’t. “Georgian Manganese is a mining company engaged in manganese mining in Chiatura.

“The activity of a journalist is protected by the legislation of Georgia. The state is obliged to protect journalists and stop the threats related to the inviolability of their lives and freedom of professional activity”, – says the statement issued by the Ethics Charter on May 25.

According to the Ethics Charter, “the factors leading to frequent attacks on journalists are the aggressive rhetoric of the government against media representatives and prolonged and uninvestigated cases”. The Charter also emphasizes that “it is essential to create a safe working environment for media representatives in the country”.

The Special Investigation Service has not issued an official statement on the incident yet.

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