“Hope” springs eternal in the human breast
2009-10-29 15:05 In June, Committee to Protect Journalists held an investigation in Georgia, having stated that the "state companies Rustavi-2, Mze and Imedi TV practically do not criticize Saakashvili's government", while Baya Romelashvili, an analyst of the Georgia's National Defender office reported that the opposition is having more difficulties in its attempt to get the air than it had in the black days of Eduard Shevardnadze. Each government that followed suppressed the TV companies of the country this way or another; Saakashvili hunted the independent companies with the same enthusiasm as he implemented his economic and institutional reforms.Having come to power in January 2004, he immediately restricted the activity of the independent media. Owner of Rustavi-2 Erosi Kitsmarishvili hurriedly sold the channel to a businessman with good connections in Ministry of Defense; later on, he asserted that this transaction was only a disguise, while in fact the channel was seized by the government. Gradually, channel Rustavi-2 changed its thematic scope and the banner of protest was passed over to the Imedi (Hope) TV Company.
On September 25, 2007 Imedi TV broadcasted the statement of former Minister of Internal Affairs Irakliy Okruashvili that President Saakashvili gave orders to remove his opponents including the owner of Imedi TV tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili. Okruashvili was arrested and forced to refute these statements in the course of interrogation; however, this happened after the anti-governmental demonstrations were started.
On November, 7 Saakashvili declared a state of emergency. On the same evening, armed policemen rushed into the office of Imedi TV: they searched the equipment and arrested the journalists menacing them with guns; they were said to accompany their actions with the following words: "You Badri's dogs do the Russians' job!" Imedi disappeared form the air. It never revealed itself up to the early presidential elections that took place next year when Saakashvili won again in the absence of independent national television that might give the air to the oppositional candidates.
At that time, Imedi TV was controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation holding. Murdoch told Associated Press that according to his instructions, Imedi had been remaining strictly neutral: "We held thorough control over each news release to make sure it was objective, fair and unbiased... however, the authorities obviously paid no attention to that. We invited them to express their position on air. Instead, there came two hundred cutthroats to crush the office and assault upon the people".
Mr. Panphilov has got a different opinion on the matter that was voiced on the air of Echo of Moscow: "In my opinion, it (Imedi) was created as an informational weapon.
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