The Media Advocacy Coalition reacts to the Tbilisi City Court’s decision to impose fines of GEL 2,200-2,200 on journalists arrested during the protest against the Russian law, in particular Zura Vardiashvili, director of online media outlet Publika, and Beka Jikurashvili, journalist of the online media outlet Tabula. These decisions are a further step against journalists, their activities and democratic processes.
The journalists were detained near the Parliament building on 2 March, when the media and civil society protested against the procedural discussions of the Russian law in the Parliament. Zura Vardiashvili was arrested during the rally, and Beka Jikurashvili was arrested while carrying out his journalistic activities; both were charged with “petty hooliganism” and “disobedience to the lawful request of the police”. Evidence was presented to the court which proved beyond doubt that Jikurashvili was engaged in journalistic activities at the time of his arrest. Therefore, the court’s recognition of him as a lawbreaker is doubly alarming.
It is significant that the court’s consideration of both cases ended at 5 o’clock in the early morning. The main evidence presented was the arrest report of the Ministry of Interior and the testimony of the representative of the riot police. In the case of Zura Vardiashvili, the person who issued the arrest order, Vazha Siradze, was not questioned as a witness because the court did not approve the motion. In both cases, the police body camera footage was not presented. Therefore, even without a reasoned decision, it is clear that the judge relied only on the statements of the representatives of the patrol police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Tbilisi City Court’s decision to fine the journalists arrested during the rally against the Russian law sets a dangerous precedent and harms the media environment. It is clear that this ruling is aimed at preventing and restricting professional media activity.
