Government attacks “Mtavari Channel”-investigation launched under heavy article and intimidated witnesses
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The State Security Service has launched a repressive machine. Today, for five hours, two residents of Marneuli were questioned at the Security Service.
Presumably, the dialogue with the investigators should not have been light, as evidenced by the statements of those interrogated. The Elders summoned as witnesses were threatened with imprisonment.
Respondents to the scandalous report of the "Mtavari Channel" in connection with the purchased diagnosis of Covid19 were summoned to State security. However, after a specially prepared statement to the media - in response to a question in Russian, whether there was an error in translation in the report of June 20 - the "Saturday Program” respondent said no .
The State Security started investigation under Article 318, which stipulates sabotage and obstruction of the normal functioning of state agencies. The investigation in this direction began a few months ago when fake text messages were sent to people living in Marneuli. Arkinaz Guliyeva, aged 80, who has been questioned with her granddaughter for five hours at State Security without a lawyer, finally, retracted her words.
The summoning of Mtavari Channel's respondents to the State Security and their intimidation is a continuation of the practice when the government uses the investigative agency for putting pressure on ethnic minorities. In recent weeks, the State Security had queues of citizens living in Marneuli.
The goal is to kill the revived civic activism in the region, which serves as a source of votes for the government. It is unknown at this time why the State Security linked the story aired on June 20 by Mtavari Channel with the "SMS" case launched months ago and the investigation under sabotage article.
For the Georgian Dream leaders, however, the final outcome of this investigation does not seem to matter. Today, the leader of the majority points finger to Mtavari Channel and the critical media, which has dared to ask questions, declaring them the source of all evil in the country.
The main target of the government's new campaign against the media today is the "Mtavari channel". Today, State Security also pointed out that in the near future, the journalists of our TV company may be summoned for questioning on the case of sabotage.
