Human Rights Center: Media Activities Linked to Health-Threatening Conditions

The non-governmental organization “Human Rights Center” in a statement published on August 11 “condemns recent cases of obstructing the professional activities of journalists and attempts to restrict media freedom”.

The Centre points out that recent frequent attacks on media representatives in Georgia raise the risk that “media activities may be associated with working in health-threatening conditions, which is directly related to the restriction of media freedom, its right to disseminate information and ideas”.

The Human Rights Centre stresses that “freedom of the press is a special part of freedom of expression”, adding that freedom of expression is protected by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the rights of journalists in Georgia are protected by Article 154 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

The Centre notes that “subjective statements made by the authorities in top Governmental positions on such facts may become a tool to justify the perpetrators and encourage violence. Actually, it’s a positive obligation of the government to take effective steps, on the one hand, to conduct the investigation properly and on the other hand to prevent illegal action involving violence”.

One example is the attack on Misha Mshvildadze, one of the founders of the “Formula” television company, on 27 June, when an unknown person punched him in the face. According to Mshvildadze himself, “state structures may have been involved in the planning and organization of the violence,  in particular, one of the participants of the attack may be an investigator of the State Security Service”.

The statement also provides an example of possible illegal surveillance of former “TV Pirveli” presenter Vasil Dabrundashvili. According to the statement, documents were disappeared from Dabrundashvili’s house, “including the decision of the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office to recognize him as a victim, which was made in 2022 in the case of illegal wiretapping and secret surveillance.  According to this decision, the State Security Service illegally wiretapped the journalist and decoded his text messages. Several international accreditations confirming the journalist’s activities have also disappeared.

According to the organization, the Special Investigative Service sent a report on the loss of Dabrundashvili’s documents to the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a delay of six days. The Centre stresses: “It’s important for the government to react immediately to such facts, so as not to create an additional risk of violation of the freedom of activity of the journalist and the inviolability of his personal life”.

Concerning the information circulated on July 13 that the car of Nodar Meladze, head of the TV channel “TV Pirveli” was had been robbed, the center states that according to Meladze, the said robbery was an act of intimidation based on his professional activity, since “from the journalist’s car were taken only the things that were important for carrying out his journalistic activities, including the external hard drive of the TV Company’s computer”. 

The Human Rights Centre cites a precedent set by the European Court of Human Rights, according to which “the publication was forced to stop functioning due to attacks on journalists, the court found a violation of torture and freedom of expression and ordered the state to pay the journalist 3000 Euros as compensation for moral damages, since the protection of freedom of expression is a positive obligation of the government”.

“Above-mentioned and similar incidents of violence may have a chilling effect and have a particular impact on freedom of expression. Physical attacks and a threatening environment will lead to an exodus of journalists from the profession and the country,” – reads the statement.

The Human Rights Centre calls on the government to “take a quick and adequate response in order to ensure a safe media environment”. The organization notes that “it’s important that an independent and effective investigation to be carried out to ensure that all those involved in the crime were held accountable. Government’s representatives should publicly condemn all cases of violence and make clear statements in support of freedom of expression and professional freedom of journalists”.

Also Read:

• 09/08/2023 – Local News Outlet Calls on Authorities to Ensure Safety of its Journalists
• 14/07/2023 – One Arrested for Obstructing Journalists in Sagarejo
• 28/06/2023 – Ruling Party Condones Violent Assaults on Critics
• 14/06/2023 – Adjara TV Public Broadcaster Journalist Assaulted
• 24/04/2023 – DW Akademie Study: Polarization, Attacks on Journalists and Weak Advertising Market among Main Challenges for Media

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