Georgia: Ema Gogokhia, Nano Chakvetadze, Camera Crews Physically Assaulted In Separate Attacks
Location: Georgia, Tbilisi
Date: March 20, 2022
Mtavari Arkhi TV’s Ema Gogokhia and Formula TV’s Nano Chakvetadze, and their respective camera crews, were physically attacked in separate instances in the field. On March 18, 2022, a group of eight to 10 unidentified men attacked the former’s team in Zugdidi city where they were filming outside the office of right-wing political party Conservative Movement. A day prior, Nano and her team were assaulted in a bar in the capital, Tbilisi, while conducting an interview.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns these attacks on journalists associated with independent television station Mtavari Arkhi and pro-opposition channel Formula TV. The authorities must ensure a safe working environment for journalists and hold the perpetrators to account.
Local media reported that according to Ema, at least eight men armed with brass knuckles “mercilessly beat” her cameraman when the TV crew came upon half a dozen employees of a Zugididi City Hall-funded nonprofit. The employees were reportedly trying to remove graffiti and a drawing of the Ukrainian flag on the facade of the pro-Russian movement office.
“We asked why they were cleaning the office door and who had tasked them to do so,” said Emma. “They ran away from the site of the incident, and then [the attackers] arrived several minutes [later],” she recounted, adding that the workers did not answer the reporters’ questions.
Emma believes that the attackers wished to target the news channel’s camera. They were trying to prevent the story from being published, maintained the journalist. The police reportedly stood watching the attack as bystanders and were only spurred into action after citizens attempted to help the journalists. Local news reports stated that the suspects indicated by Ema were not all detained.
Mtavari Arkhi TV later that day aired a video showing a man chasing down and insulting the crew and attacking the cameraman. An investigation to probe interference in the professional duty of journalists using violence was later launched by the Special Investigation Service.
Only one day prior to this, on March 17, 2022, Formula TV reporter Nano Chakvetadze, camera operator Archil Nikolaishvili and camera assistant Giga Tskhovrebashvili, were attacked while interviewing a Russian citizen, who had relocated to Georgia following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The attacker, later identified as Davit Velijanashvili, demanded for the journalists to leave the bar once he realized they were associated with Formula TV, a channel he said he hated for “spreading disinformation”.
When the journalists refused to leave, the attacker struck Nano on her shoulder and punched her colleagues in the face and head. Nikolaishvili was shifted to the hospital with a concussion and a broken nose for emergency surgery.
Velijanashvili was arrested the following day and charged with unlawful interference with a journalist’s professional activities and persecution of persons because of their speech, opinions, or professional activities by violence or threat of violence. Formula TV reported that on March 20, Velijanashvili pleaded guilty to these charges and Tbilisi City Court ordered him remanded in police custody for two months, Formula TV reported.Remanded him in police custody
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the physical attacks on Ema Gogokhia and Nano Chakvetadze and their crews at Mtavari Arkhi and Formula TV, respectively. The Georgian authorities must ensure a safe working environment for journalists and take strict action against the perpetrators of these attacks. The CFWIJ has closely followed cases of violations against women journalists and press freedom in Georgia and is concerned at the authorities lax attitude in such cases. We reiterate that impunity for crimes against journalists only endangers the independent press further and demands justice.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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