NEWS: Georgia News Digest 03-27-08

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

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Archives and associated files at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles (from February 2008) and groups.google.com/group/genews (before February 2008)

1. report: The big eviction: Violations of property rights in Georgia
archived as Property Rights (2008).doc at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles/files?&sort=date on March 26
2. report: Putinization of Georgia: Georgian media after the Rose Revolution
archived as Media After RR (2008) at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles/files?&sort=date on March 26
Since independence, the Georgian media has not been as restricted as today, at the 4 year anniversary of the Rose Revolution. Many Georgian journalists feel the same on that issue. Many of them have left the field of their activities out of a feeling of protest. Some of them went abroad and some of them continued their career in a more peaceful sphere. The post-revolutionary expectation on enhancing and protecting democratic values was so huge that the Georgian media granted time and opportunity to the new government. But this concession reflected negatively on the freedom of the press in Georgia. Self-censorship of Georgian journalists has continued for too long and when they do have a desire to criticize the government and play the role of objective media, it is a hard job to do. It became difficult to prove facts by argumentation because the government cut all the ways to the regional and central media to gain any information by imposing financial sanctions, forbidding to investigate trials and the doors of governmental structures have become closed for the journalists. So the journalists were unable to discover any facts compromising the government during these years.Almost all governmental structures have blocked access for journalists, even those which were accessible during the previous Shevardnadze government. Journalists have lost their opportunity to get public information. Physical abuse and insults directed at journalists became very frequent. Leading talk-shows have been taken off the air and one of the most famous television journalists was beaten by a governmental official on live television. This official broke his nose, but the official remains in his job. All the law enforcement structures have became unavailable for journalists. The government refuses to take part in television debates. Journalistic investigations have decreased in number. As for the regional journalists, their job has became a struggle for them.The Human Rights Centre represents a media report which completely reflects the situation in Georgia which developed after the Rose Revolution. The report touches upon existing problems in the media throughout the entire country as well. It highlights the pressure journalists are under nowadays.To make the current situation clear, we have decided to single out the pressure exerted in the regions after the Rose Revolution; the closing of offices, the beating of journalists and imposing financial sanctions – these are only a few examples.
3. report: Pankisi deadlock: Plight of Chechen refugees in Georgia
archived as Chechen Refugees (2008) at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles/files?&sort=date on March 26

4. Opposition calls off hunger strike
5. Hunger strikes end
6. photo gallery: Hunger strike in Georgia
7. Old women stopped hunger striking in Sighnaghi
8. Opposition met with CoE
9. CoE officials arrive in Tbilisi
10. Opposition claims CoE does not believe upcoming elections will be fair
11. Young “Christian-Democrats” declare distrust to Matyas Eorsi
12. Opposition considers cooperation in majoritarian MP elections
13. 60 parties appeal to CEC for running in polls
14. Sixty-two parties file to stand in May parliamentary election
15. Registration deadline for parliamentary elections today
16. Poll: What action should the opposition take?
17. Labour Party to take part in May poll after having threatened boycott
18. Georgian ruling party to stand in May parliamentary election under new name
19. Russia-NATO and more
20. Why Kosovo upsets Russia
21. Interior Ministry says Tbilisi needs to join NATO MAP
22. NATO Membership Action Plans: “Not if but when”?
23. Tbilisi and Kiev step up drive to join Nato
24. Georgia says NATO "no" would fuel conflicts
25. Georgia delegation to discuss in Brussels NATO integration issues
26. Status of NATO country candidate to help settle conflicts
27. FM says decision on Membership Action Plan a "test" for NATO
28. Georgia urges NATO not to bow to Russian pressure
29. Speaker meets with envoys of NATO member states
30. Implementation of IPAP by Georgia to be discussed in Brussels
31. A second Kosovo in Georgia?
32. Georgian-Russian relations offer little to look forward to
33. Postal service between Russia and Georgia to be restored soon
34. Flight from Moscow to Tbilisi delayed as passenger asks to leave jet
35. Soldiers of the Abkhazian unit flee Mukhrovani military base in mass
36. If Georgians refuse Abkhaz passports they will be force to leave the region
37. Residents of Gali are being forced to obtain Abkhaz passports
38. Education center opens in Gali
39. Georgia does not object to Saakashvili-Kokoity meeting
40. Moscow says Georgia-South Ossetia meeting still important
41. Russian peacekeeping commander on recent "tensions" in Georgia's South Ossetia
42. Trail in S. Ossetia terror attacks leads to Georgia - Russian diplomat
43. Russia accuses Tbilisi of ‘terrorist acts’ in S. Ossetia
44. Russia blames Georgia for two blasts in breakaway region, urges restraint
45. Russia points to Georgian involvement in bomb attacks
46. Georgia unlawfully blocks several roads in S. Ossetia - peacekeepers' spokesman
47. Roads to Tskhinvali still blocked by Georgian side
48. Opposition held another protest action to support Imedi TV
49. Opposition rallies ‘to protect Imedi’
50. Matthew Bryza condemned violence against journalists at opposition protest rally
51. Following November 7 government enjoys no moral right to condemn violence against media
52. TV Company Imedi to have no problems with license
53. Imedi TV to resume broadcasting in near future
54. Imedi TV may resume broadcast on April 1
55. News corporation: a farewell to Georgia?
56. Berezovskiy says no links to News Corp,
57. New system of management of risks to be introduced at Georgian Customs
58. Armenian oppositionists extradited by Georgia
59. Businesswomen build ties at Turkish forum
60. Latvian delegation visits Georgia
61. Health minister discusses ‘village doctor’ project with medical staff in Gori
62. MP warns of meddling foreign advisers in business development
63. Statistics Department evaluates MCG projects efficiency
64. Poverty in vineyards: Saakashvili meets only grateful farmers
65. Vardzelashvili preferred regional governor than majority MP
66. Every fifth woman suffers from domestic violence
67. “Cow settlement” reached at Imereti Region Executive Bureau

Jonathan Kulick, Ph.D., Director of Studies, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 3a Chitadze, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia (Republic), jonathan.kulick@gfsis.org, office: +995 32 47 35 55, mobile: +995 95 33 33 40, USA voicemail: 310.928.6814