Georgia: CFWIJ Condemns Threats Issued To Emma Gogokhia By Mayor Of Mestia

Location: Georgia, Tbilisi
Date: March 6, 2021

The Mayor of Mestia was heard threatening and abusing journalist Emma Gogokhia who was in the city to cover allegations of corruption. The audio was played by Emma’s employer channel Mtavari Arkhi TV on their platforms. The audio makes it clear that Mayor Zhorzholiani not only used abusive language and threatened the journalist but also attempted to bribe her to drop the story. An investigation has been launched into the matter. 

Following the report published by Transparency International (TI) Georgia, on March 4, alleging major corruption by Mestian municipality, Emma Gogokhia reached the city with her team to further investigate the matter. The report had alleged that the Mayor’s sister’s hotel was receiving state favours including subsidies worth a total of GEL 769,729 (USD 230,000), as well as state procurements worth up to GEL 300,856 (USD 90,000). 

Emma tried to reach out to the mayor about this, however was unable to establish contact. Later, the mayor called her himself, insulting her, threatening her with death and offering her money to leave the city. Moreover, the team who had stayed over for the night, woke up the next morning to find out all four tires of their vehicle were flattened. After Mtavari Arkhi TV made the phone conversation between the journalist and the mayor public, the Interior Ministry announced an investigation was being launched into the matter under Article 151, involving issuing threats, and Article 187, involving damage or destruction of property.

Mayor Zhorzholiani came on record to allege that Emma had forcefully entered the home of his sister and insulted her, which resulted in his phone call. He also claims that the audio recording of money being offered to Emma was “taken out of context”. The journalist union in the country however maintains that this is not the first time a journalist has been threatened and the press repression is on the rise in the country, urging immediate investigation.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the mayor’s threats towards Emma and hopes the investigation will be uninterrupted and just, bringing the wrongful party to account. These attacks by those in power not only pose a risk to journalists in the moment but also encourage dangerous groups within their support base to target free press and thus democratic values. Such a trend could prove dangerous for the growth of civil society in the country in the long run.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.