Court says photographers accused of spy by the previous gov't were innocent

Tbilisi Court of Appeals delivered a verdict today which says that four photographers  convicted in 2011 under the United National Movement leadership for spying for Russia were innocent and the real reason of the arrest were the photos taken by them depicting the peaceful rally dispersal by the UNM authorities in central Tbilisi on 26 May 2011.

Today the court justified the photographers and stated that they were innocent and the testimonies written by them that time were made after torture.

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office under the Georgian Dream government reopened the came after the defeat of the nine-year rule of UNM in Georgia in 2012.

In 2016 two former officials were charged for the case. One, former deputy head of the counterintelligence service David Devnozashvili is serving his sentence, while another, former head of the #8 prison Aleksandre Mukhadze is wanted.

Photo by Irakli Gedenidze taken on 26 May. 

Photographers were arrested in July 2011 after they had taken and distributed pictures of the violent dispersal of May 26, 2011 rally in Tbilisi.

These photographers were:

• Giorgi Abdaladze – former photographer of Georgia’s Foreign Ministry
• Zurab Kurtsikidze – photographer for the European Pressphoto Agency
• Irakli Gedenidze – former personal photographer of then-president Mikheil Saakashvil
• A fourth photographer, Irakli Gedenidze’s wife Natela Gedenidze, was also arrested.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office under the Georgian Dream leadership said the photographs taken by the four people were disseminated in Georgia and internationally. The photos showed how the then-government used heavy-handed tactics against peaceful protesters.

After eight days of inhumane treatment in prison, the three men falsely confessed to being Russia's spies.

The photographers were forced to learn by heart the confession text that was written in advance. They were forced to practice all night to tell the text as naturally as possible in front of a camera in the presence of their lawyers the next day,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.

The photographers gave their false confessions but this was followed by a protest from their lawyers, who believed the false confessions had been obtained violently. The meant the photographers were forced to request a change of lawyers.

After the lawyers were changed, the three photographers signed plea agreements and were released from prison but were warned never to talk publicly about the topic.

The release was preceded by a large-scale protest from Georgian media representatives which is believed to force the government release the photographers.