Police identify people who assaulted Tabula journalists

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia released a statement today, stating that the law-enforcement bodies have identified the four persons who physically and verbally abused Tbilisi based Tabula TV journalists three days ago at a restaurant Tchashnagiri, located in the capital city. 

The police stated that Shalva G, 28, Tornike T, 28, Demetre L, 26, and Ani Kh, 22, were the people who insulted the journalists while being at the restaurant. 

Investigation is ongoing on the fact of beating. 

Tabula TV journalists Irakli Kiknavelidze, Nino Macharashvili, Levan Sutidze and former employee of the  media outlet Avto Koridze stated on January 12 that they  were assaulted by three individuals at the restaurant. 

They stressed that the assaulters abused them both physically and verbally, broke the restaurant equipment and escaped.

 According to journalists, their professional activities and criticism of the Orthodox Church were named as the motive for the assault.