Zurab Kurtsikidze and Giorgi Abdaladze deny having committed a crime. Irakli and Natia Gedenidzes have confessed in their testimonies. Natia Gedenidze was released in the early morning of July 9 from the building of Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Later, at the trial held at 15:30 pm, 10 000 GEL bail was imposed for her freedom.
It should be noted that Irakli and Natia Gedenidzes refused to cooperate with Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA). The lawyers of GYLA met and talked with their clients on July 7. However, later, on the night of July 8, at the moment of imposing charge, the GYLA lawyers were refused to be admitted to their clients.
“GYLA lawyers requested to meet their clients to see that they independently, without any pressure decided to change the lawyers. The investigator did not render their request. It should be noted that after the last meeting with Irakli Gedenidze, the lawyer did not have any feeling that he would request aversion. On the contrary, they decided that the lawyer was going to intensively visit the detainee and be present at the process of imposing charge,” – reads GYLA statement.
Today Giorgi Abdaladze addressed colleagues with a statement: “I am addressing all journalists who are concerned by establishment of truth in this injustice exercised by the government against free media. Do not yield; do not admit one more injustice like it happened in the past with Imedi,Channel Ninth, Iberia and many other examples. Do not fear. I will die to reveal the truth because I have faith in you all. The only thing that we can do now is to hinder them to carry out Enveri like scenarios. Today they are fighting against “Alia”, who will be the next…” – notes Giorgi Abdaladze’s statement.
The press service of Tbilisi City Court disseminated a statement regarding the trial:
“The defendants are charged with espionage, collecting, keeping and transferring document or any other data containing state secret for the representatives of foreign organization.
In the closed session the court heard and satisfied the request of the Office of the Chief Prosecutor to impose imprisonment as a compulsory measure against Zurab Kurtsikidze, Irakli Gedenidze and Giorgi Abdaladze since they are charged with the crime of especially grave crime which envisages imprisonment for more than 10 years.
In the same case against the defendant Natela Gedenidze, considering that she confesses and repents her guilt, has a permanent residence place and two little children, the court used a bail of 10 000 GEL as a compulsory measure against her.”
The Ministry of Internal Affairs held a special briefing regarding the detained photo reporters and disseminated special statement as well:
“The investigation has revealed that Zurab Kurtsikidze was in contact with officers of the Main Intelligence Division of the Ministry of Defense of Russia (GRU), namely with Anatoly Sinitsin and Sergei Okrokov who are both wanted by Georgian law enforcement agencies for espionage.
The investigation also found that Kurtsikidze maintained contacts with Russian citizens, who received, through him, secret information from the other detained suspects. In particular, while performing their professional duties as state employees, Irakli Gedenidze and Giorgi Abdaladze took photos of documents containing secret information and in exchange for financial reward handed them over to Kurtsikidze, who in turn sent this information to Moscow. After searching the private belongings of Gedenidze and Abdaladze and studying materials kept in their computers, classified documents, photos of the floor plans of the building of the President’s administration, information about President’s itinerary, details of the President’s visits and meetings, as well as information about the personnel of the President’s Administration were discovered. The same files were also found in Kurtsikidze’s computer.”
“Phone conversations show that money is transferred legally from Frankfurt’s office. Spies are never asked to open bank accounts and transfer money via bank; Video material distributed by the MIA shows some Russian spies but doesn’t show any connection with Zurab Kurtsikidze”,- says Ucha Nanuashvili, the head of the Human Rights Centre.
It should be mentioned that EPA’s headquarter is in Frankfurt, Germany[1]. EPA states that investigation misinterpreted the innocent conversation about payments of photographs. Editor-in-Chief of Frankfurt-based EPA, Cengiz Seren, told the Associated Press on July 9 that Kurtsikidze was asking fellow photographers for their banking details so that the agency could wire them money for the photos they took for EPA. Seren said EPA’s accountants were going to find the documents related to any money that was transferred to Kurtsikidze and to other photographers though him and to submit those documents to the Georgian authorities.
“They decided this could be a spy ring but of course it is far away from that,” he said, adding that he would send evidences from the agency to the Georgian authorities next week.
Public opinion
The journalist Zviad Koridze calls the video-material disseminated by the MIA a typical example of fabricated case. As the agency interpressnews stated to Koridze, in the video material disseminated by the MIA he did not see anything that could prove Zurab Kurtsikidze’s connection with Russia’s Special Forces. According to Zviad Koridze, information on the visits of the President and representatives of other country is not a secret.
The material published by the MIA does not satisfy the public interest. On the contrary, it assures the public that the detainees took some photos that personally tarnished Saakashvili’s reputation, – stated the head of the Information Service of TV Company Caucasia Nino Jangirashvili.
“According to Gedenidze, Kurtsikidze requested photo material for a foreign agency and he provided them. Nothing is criminal here… The telephone records are ridiculous. The guy tells them to give their bank account to transfer the money. These kinds of conversations take place every day between the journalists and media managers,” – noted Jangirashvili with interpressnews.
“Looking from outside, many things do not coincide to each other. Look, thirty minutes later since the wife is released, the husband confesses in crime at 2 a.m. I am sorry but, it’s long time that confession is not considered as an evidence in the whole world, especially in such a circumstances when the wife is taken let’s say as a hostage”,- commented Aleksei Venediktov, the editor-in-chief of the “Echo Maskvi” when meeting Georgian journalists in Tbilisi.
Local and international support
The Human Rights Center issued a statement calling the roundup a “violation of the freedom of expression.”
“The Human Rights Center appeals to the diplomatic corps and international organization accredited in Georgia to promptly respond to the fact and suggest the government of Georgia to release the detained photo-reporters. The Human Rights Center calls upon the civil society to rise against the terror of people exercised by the Ministry of Interior that has recently acquired very dangerous forms”- reads the statement.
Reporters Without Borders also reacts on the detention of famous photo-reporters and calls on the authorities to explain these serious accusations and to provide regular information on the situation of the detainees.
“The authorities obviously have a duty to protect national interests but the current fear of spies in Georgia must not be allowed to fuel a climate of intimidation in the media, and security imperatives must not override democratic principles.
We urge the counter-espionage and judicial services to conduct a calm and impartial investigation that respects legal procedures and the rights of the defendants. While it is impossible for the time being to take a position on the substance of the charges, we believe that the utmost transparency is needed to dispel suspicions that these arrests were politically motivated,”- Reporters Without Borders said.
“Not a single evidence, put forward by the Ministry of Interior on July 9, helped to add credibility to the charges brought against the photojournalists. It gives us ground to think that authorities deliberately hide details of the case in order to put pressure on media representatives”,– states Coalition for Media Advocacy
“We want to stress, that ignoring public interest is unacceptable. If the details of the matter continue to be unknown in the nearest future, such action will be considered as the authorities’ direct pressure on media and journalism in Georgia and arrested persons will be considered as prisoners of conscience and we will resort to various civil activities and use all the methods of public pressure with the purpose to secure detained journalists’ release,”- the statement reads.
Journalistic Ethic Chart initiated the protest demonstration of journalists on July 11th in front of the Interior Ministry building. The demonstrating journalists sent a letter to Vano Merabishvili, the Minister of MIA with the following requests:
· To meet the members of the Chart;
· To remove the Top Secret from the photographers’ case;
· To let attorneys speak about the case details;
· To give possibility to the civil council to learn the case because of the high interest of the society.
Zurab Kurtsikidze and Giorgi Abdaladze do not acknowledge crime.
[1] The photo agency was established in 1985 by 11 European national news agencies, among them are: ANA-Greece, ANP-Netherlands, ANSA –Italy, APA – Austria, Belga – Belgium, DPA – Germany, EFE-Spain, KEYSTONE- Switzerland, Lusa – Portugal, MTI –Hungary, PAP-Poland. Through these agencies, they provide daily news picture coverage to thousands of newspapers throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
