Georgian Public TV Claims Opposition Intimidation

In a fresh twist in Georgia's intensifying media battles, Georgian Public Broadcasting said March 26 that the company and its reporters have received threats from unidentified groups allegedly linked to the opposition.

At a March 26 press conference, GPB reporter Giga Makarashvili claimed that unknown assailants forced him into a car in mid-March and offered to pay off his loans if he left Georgian Public Broadcasting. Makharashvili claimed that the individuals "told me to collect evidence discrediting my superiors" and to hand it over to a political reality TV show on the pro-opposition channel Maestro run by pop singer Utsnobi (The Stranger), the brother of former presidential candidate Levan Gachechiladze.

The reporter alleged that the individuals threatened to push Makarashvili's pregnant wife "down the stairs" if he failed to produce compromises material. Georgian Public Broadcasting General Director Levan Kubaneishvili claimed that he has provided security guards for Makarashvili's family, and indicated that other Public Broadcasting employees have also been threatened recently.

In an interview with EurasiaNet, Maestro Executive Producer Mamuka Ghlonti scoffed at the suggestion that Maestro was involved in the supposed attack. "This was an extremely irresponsible statement on the part of Kubaneishvili," Ghlonti said. "Perhaps this man was really attacked -- I wouldn't know -- but implying that Maestro is somehow involved in this without having sufficient evidence, or without a completed investigation is unacceptable."

Ghlonti claimed that the accusations are "a continuation of the videotape series," a reference to the broadcast of interior ministry tapes of alleged members of two opposition parties purchasing weapons and discussing options for a civil uprising against the government. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The television producer alleged that Georgian Public Broadcasting is trying to discredit news outlets that are critical of the government.