H.E. Eduard Shevardnadze
President
Republic of Georgia
Tbilisi
Georgia

Fax: + 995 32 99 86 90

Vienna, 27 March 2003

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, is concerned at the decision of the Georgian Supreme Court to call for a criminal inquiry into the news programme “60 Minutes”, broadcast on the Tbilisi-based television station Rustavi 2, due to it reports on corruption in the judiciary and the police.

According to information provided to IPI, on 10 March, the state-owned newspaper Sakartvelos Respublika published a statement from the Georgian Supreme Court calling on state prosecutors to investigate the programme. The statement is thought to have been issued as the result of a 16 February 2003 edition of the “60 Minutes” programme, which revealed the fact that government officials, previously caught on hidden camera discussing bribes, had been fired and then later rehired.

The aggressive reporting of “60 Minutes” has apparently enraged a number of government officials who have filed legal suit against Rustavi 2. Former minister of culture, Valeri Asatiani, initiated a legal suit after “60 Minutes” reported that he was allegedly plotting to kill a business partner. In an unrelated action to the stories of corruption, Rustavi 2 is facing a US$ 4.6 million criminal libel lawsuit before the Georgian Supreme Court.

With regard to the wider motivations of the law court and the prosecutors, IPI is concerned that it may be part of an attempt to suppress the media ahead of parliamentary elections in October 2003. IPI notes that state-owned media regularly criticize Rustavi 2 and that there is currently a climate of intimidation that surrounds the station.

On the question of the court’s actions, IPI believes that it is a breach of the separation of powers for courts to be seen to be closely involved in the direction of investigations against the media. The judicial system should work on the notion that judges are entirely separate and above the prosecution elements of the judicial system. For it to be so intimately involved in this investigation implies that possible political motivations may be behind it.

While respecting the independence of the judiciary, IPI calls on Your Excellency to examine the current situation to ensure that the actions of both the Georgian Supreme Court and prosecutors are in keeping with the Georgian constitution.

Moreover, IPI asks Your Excellency to acknowledge that the media play a pivotal role in the exposure of corruption. To carry out this role, which is of benefit to Georgian society, the media must be allowed to report without fear of interference or intimidation. IPI invites Your Excellency to create a media environment that allows for this fundamental right.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director