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Media Ombudsman: Election Day Was Marked by Violence, Intimidation Against Journalists

The election day environment for journalists and cameramen from critical media was marked by violence, pressure, intimidation and obstruction of their professional work, according to the Media Ombudsman, the media watchdog. “For the representatives of critical media, obtaining and disseminating information about the vote was extremely difficult and dangerous,” the assessment, published on October 30, says.

The Media Ombudsman notes that the violent groups were mobilized near polling stations by the ruling Georgian Dream party. “The aggression [against the media] was particularly dangerous during attempts to document and disseminate the facts of pressure, control and vote buying.”

The media had to leave the scene for security reasons. According to the Media Ombudsman, in most cases the police did not arrive on the scene and the heads of the precinct and district commissions did not respond to incidents, “as a result of which the work of the media in a number of polling stations became impossible.”

“As a result of the violent activities, the rights of at least 50 journalists and cameramen were violated,” the assessment said.

The watchdog reports on each case of violence against the media on October 26, and calls on the Special Investigation Service to conduct quick and effective investigations into all of them. “Investigating the number of criminal acts against the media on election day is one of the components that will determine the credibility of the electoral process.”

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This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)

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