Georgia - Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on Tuesday 25 August 2015

Information on Imedi television network, particularly the branch in Kutaisi

A report issued in December 2007 by Human Rights Watch states:

“The popular Imedi television station was founded in 2002 by wealthy businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, a former close associate of exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky. Imedi became increasingly critical of the authorities after Patarkatsishvili fell out with Saakashvili’s government in 2006, allegedly amidst business disputes. The station aired investigative pieces into controversial subjects, including on the murder of Sandro Girgvliani, head of United Georgian Bank’s international relations department, by Ministry of Interior employees in January 2006…Government officials criticized Imedi, calling it an opposition mouthpiece, and refused all invitations to participate in debates or talk shows on Imedi” (Human Rights Watch (19 December 2007) Crossing the Line, Georgia’s Violent Dispersal of Protestors and Raid on Imedi Television, p.13).

In June 2014 a publication released by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly states:

“The editorial policy of another popular TV channel Imedi has shifted more to the centre since the ownership of the channel was returned to its original majority shareholder, the family of Badri Patarkatsishvili, shortly after the 2012 elections” (NATO Parliamentary Assembly (1 June 2014) Georgia's Euro-Atlantic Integration: Internal and External Challenges, point 60).

A publication released in September 2014 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe states that

“In a controversial development, the Prosecutor General announced, on 28 July 2014, that he had filed criminal charges against former President Saakashvili for exceeding official authority in breaking up the antigovernment protests in November 2007 and for the related seizure of the IMEDI television station” (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (30 September 2014) The functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia: Addendum to the report).

In October 2014 Freedom House points out in a report that:

“Prior to 2012, Imedi TV had been subject to government editorial control through close links between its owners and the UNM government. Two weeks after the elections, the station was inexplicably transferred back to the family of the late former owner – a critic of outgoing UNM-backed president – from whom it had been controversially seized in 2007. Not surprisingly, Imedi adopted a generally pro-Georgian Dream orientation during the 2013 presidential election, but this had eased somewhat by year's end” (Freedom House (8 October 2014) Freedom of the Press 2014 – Georgia).

Sarke Press Monitor in April 2015 points out that:

“In a few days after elections of 2012, "Imedi" was returned to lawful owners and now 100% of this broadcasting company is owned by LLC "Georgian Media Group", which wholly belongs to widow of billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili” (Sarke Press Monitor (30 April 2014) Who Owns Leading Georgian Televisions).

In August 2015 EurasiaNet states that:

“The privately owned national broadcaster Imedi…made a…donation to the government’s flood-relief effort” (EurasiaNet (18 August 2015) Georgia: ’s Flood-Relief Efforts Spark Deluge of Questions).

The website of Imedi is at http://www.imedi.ge/

No further information on this issue could be found among sources available to the RDC.

References

EurasiaNet (18 August 2015) Georgia: Tbilisi’s Flood-Relief Efforts Spark Deluge of Questions http://reliefweb.int/report/georgia/georgia-tbilisi-s-flood-relief-efforts-spark-deluge- questions Accessed Tuesday 25 August 2015

Freedom House (8 October 2014) Freedom of the Press 2014 – Georgia http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=544dec053aa Accessed Tuesday 25 August 2015

Human Rights Watch (19 December 2007) Crossing the Line, Georgia’s Violent Dispersal of Protestors and Raid on Imedi Television https://www.hrw.org/report/2007/12/19/crossing-line/georgias-violent-dispersal- protestors-and-raid-imedi-television Accessed Tuesday 25 August 2015

NATO Parliamentary Assembly (1 June 2014) Georgia's Euro-Atlantic Integration: Internal and External Challenges http://www.ein.org.uk/members/country-report/georgias-euro-atlantic-integration- internal-and-external-challenges This is a subscription database Accessed Tuesday 25 August 2015

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (30 September 2014) The functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia: Addendum to the report http://www.ein.org.uk/members/country-report/functioning-democratic-institutions- georgia-addendum-report This is a subscription database Accessed Tuesday 25 August 2015

Sarke Press Monitor (30 April 2014) Who Owns Leading Georgian Televisions http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/legal/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb =21_T22523988241&format=GNBFULL&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrl Key=29_T22523988245&cisb=22_T22523988244&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi= 338273&docNo=88 This is a subscription database Accessed Tuesday 25 August 2015

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Refugee Documentation Centre within time constraints. This response is not and does not purport to be conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please read in full all documents referred to.

Sources Consulted

Amnesty International BBC News Electronic Immigration Network European Country of Origin Information Network Freedom House Google Human Rights Watch Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre International Crisis Group IRIN News Lexis Nexis Minority Rights Group International Online Newspapers Refugee Documentation Centre E-Library Refugee Documentation Centre Query Database Reliefweb Regional Surveys of the World Home Office United States Department of State UNHCR Refworld