Police investigate attack on suspect in the Georgia-Azerbaijan ‘land forfeit’ case, Mtavari TV crew in David Gareji
Iveri Melashvili told Palitra TV that this attack ‘seemed to be orchestrated’ by someone else. Photo: Mzia Saganelidze/RFERL
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Police are investigating an attack on a suspect in the Georgia-Azerbaijan ‘land forfeit’ case Iveri Melasvhili and the crew of opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi TV which occurred earlier today in David Gareji.
Mtavari Arkhi TV has reported that Melashvili and their crew were attacked by drunk clergy while they were making a video report.
Iveri Melashvili. Photo: Mzia Saganelidze/RFERL
Mtavari Arkhi TV journalist Ninutsa Kekelia said that a cleric came up to them saying that Melashvili is a traitor and that he had no right to go to David Gareji.
The situation became tense when other clerics and civilians joined, offending the TV crew and damaging the camera.
Condemning any type of attack on media representatives the Public Defender’s Office said free and critical media play vital role in democratic society.
We call on the law enforcers to timely and effectively investigate attacks on journalists”, Public Defender’s office said.
It further noted that the attackers should be brought to justice to end the impunity.
Only two-thirds of the state border has been agreed upon with Azerbaijan so far, which on several occasions triggered tension in David Gareji back in 2019. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Iveri Melashvili and Natalia Ilichova were detained last October for withholding materials from a border agreement with Azerbaijan that, according to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, led to the forfeit of about 3,500 hectares of lands against Georgia’s interests.
They were released on 20,000 GEL bail each in January after the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office requested the bail, stating that there was no need for pretrial detention.
Denying the charges the suspects have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Two detainees in the Georgia-Azerbaijan ‘land forfeit’ high-profile case Iveri Melashvili and Natalia Ilichova have been released on 20,000 GEL bail each earlier today. The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office requested the bail, stating that there was no need for pretrial detention. Melashvili and Ilichova will not be able to leave the country before the court delivers a verdict in the case.
The prosecution says that a motive has been identified in the high-profile Georgia-Azerbaijan border case, which saw two former officials detained last year for allegedly withholding materials from a border agreement with Azerbaijan under the United National Movement government in 2006-2007.
Two suspects in the Georgia-Azerbaijan ‘land forfeit’ case - Iveri Melasvhili and Natalia Ilichova - have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The Georgian Democracy Initiative announced earlier today that the applicants complain for the violations of several articles of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Civic activists and opposition politicians gathered in front of the Prosecutor’s Office in Tbilisi to protest the detention of two former members of a state commission that worked on demarcation of a border between Georgia and Azerbaijan.