Press Scanner
Compiled by Liana Bezhanishvili
Monday, October 5
Lawyers have a fight
Akhali Taoba reports that various lawyers have confronted each other at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Judicial Issues. The Committee was due to discuss changes in the law suggested by the Lawyers’ Association, but was presented with two different letters from the Association, signed by two different persons, in which one person agreed and the second disagreed with the proposed changes.
The confrontation began when Gocha Svanidze outlined the Lawyers’ Association’s proposals. After a noisy discussion the Chair of the Committee appealed to Association members to resolve this internal problem and make clear who is speaking on behalf of the Association and who is not. A new package of judicial reforms is already being discussed in Parliament.
Bendukidze has not decided whether to become a journalist
Whather the Georgian Public Broadcaster or Imedi TV will secure the services of Kakha Bendukidze is still unknown, Rezonansi writes. Both companies are negotiating with the former State Minister, but Bendukidze’s decision which to join is not clear yet.
“I offered Kakha Bendukidze the chance to make a TV programme. I am still waiting for his answer. We are talking about a talk show type programme, but I think it is very early at this stage to talk about the details. I know Bendukidze has also had a similar offer from Imedi TV,” Director General of the Public Broadcaster Giorgi Chanturia said.
“The programme Bendukidze will make may touch not only on economic themes but other questions too. I cannot say more publicly because although we have not decided everything we are still working on this and in the near future will make a final decision. I cannot say anything about what other channels are doing. The main thing for us is to agree terms acceptable to both sides,” Otar Babunadze, the General Director of Imedi TV, has stated.
It is interesting to note that two television stations are fighting over the services of Bendukidze, who has never liked journalists. Although the ex-Minister may be a journalist himself soon, he still responds to them angrily and is practically boycotting them. Asked by Rezonansi which channel he would work for, he answered: “I don’t want to talk to your newspaper, because you write foolish things. You haven’t written anything about me yet, but you work for this newspaper, and this is a bad newspaper, so I don’t want to make a comment,” Bendukidze told the Rezonansi reporter.
Shalva Ramishvili – Do not consider me a self-sacrificing fighter against the regime
Alia reports that Gia Gachechiladze (Utsnobi) started to talk about Shalva Ramishvili on his Cell Number 5 programme last week. Ramishvili, a TV anchor, was recently released from jail and is making a new programme called Truth Time which will be shown on Imedi from October.
Utsnobi’s emotional speech touched upon Shalva Ramishvili’s collaboration with Imedi. He said he had invited Ramishvili to visit his Cell but he had refused, so he asked him live on air – “Why did you join Imedi?”
“God bless Gia Gachechiladze. He might create a revolution and remove the current Government. He may know the way to get rid of the current regime. However I have had many meetings with opposition leaders, and they presented three options to me - to join a political party, to act alone and just do my job. No one wanted to foment a revolution in this country,” Shalva Ramishvili told an Alia correspondent when asked to respond to Gachechiladze’s question.
“Why should Shalva Ramishvili scream when others should have done it…? I chose to do what I am doing now. Unfortunately, most of the positions of those who fight against Saakashvili might be morally justified, but this does not change anything in the country.
“I would like to tell Utsnobi and other public figures that their deeds cannot be called politics and steps towards the prosperity of the country. This is why I have decided not to integrate with these people. I seem to have different opinions to them and I believe the situation will be not changed by the opposition leaders, neither by specific individuals nor the whole leadership of the opposition,” he noted.
‘I did not go on Cell Number 5 because I am very tired. You should not relate this refusal to me being with Imedi. I did not ask Misha Saakashvili to pardon me. We had certain relations before, but this was a matter of principle.
“Please, do not consider me a self-sacrificing fighter against the regime. I would never have asked for any pardon from Saakashvili. But my activities after my release are a different issue,” Ramishvili said.
Akhali Taoba reports that various lawyers have confronted each other at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Judicial Issues. The Committee was due to discuss changes in the law suggested by the Lawyers’ Association, but was presented with two different letters from the Association, signed by two different persons, in which one person agreed and the second disagreed with the proposed changes.
The confrontation began when Gocha Svanidze outlined the Lawyers’ Association’s proposals. After a noisy discussion the Chair of the Committee appealed to Association members to resolve this internal problem and make clear who is speaking on behalf of the Association and who is not. A new package of judicial reforms is already being discussed in Parliament.
Bendukidze has not decided whether to become a journalist
Whather the Georgian Public Broadcaster or Imedi TV will secure the services of Kakha Bendukidze is still unknown, Rezonansi writes. Both companies are negotiating with the former State Minister, but Bendukidze’s decision which to join is not clear yet.
“I offered Kakha Bendukidze the chance to make a TV programme. I am still waiting for his answer. We are talking about a talk show type programme, but I think it is very early at this stage to talk about the details. I know Bendukidze has also had a similar offer from Imedi TV,” Director General of the Public Broadcaster Giorgi Chanturia said.
“The programme Bendukidze will make may touch not only on economic themes but other questions too. I cannot say more publicly because although we have not decided everything we are still working on this and in the near future will make a final decision. I cannot say anything about what other channels are doing. The main thing for us is to agree terms acceptable to both sides,” Otar Babunadze, the General Director of Imedi TV, has stated.
It is interesting to note that two television stations are fighting over the services of Bendukidze, who has never liked journalists. Although the ex-Minister may be a journalist himself soon, he still responds to them angrily and is practically boycotting them. Asked by Rezonansi which channel he would work for, he answered: “I don’t want to talk to your newspaper, because you write foolish things. You haven’t written anything about me yet, but you work for this newspaper, and this is a bad newspaper, so I don’t want to make a comment,” Bendukidze told the Rezonansi reporter.
Shalva Ramishvili – Do not consider me a self-sacrificing fighter against the regime
Alia reports that Gia Gachechiladze (Utsnobi) started to talk about Shalva Ramishvili on his Cell Number 5 programme last week. Ramishvili, a TV anchor, was recently released from jail and is making a new programme called Truth Time which will be shown on Imedi from October.
Utsnobi’s emotional speech touched upon Shalva Ramishvili’s collaboration with Imedi. He said he had invited Ramishvili to visit his Cell but he had refused, so he asked him live on air – “Why did you join Imedi?”
“God bless Gia Gachechiladze. He might create a revolution and remove the current Government. He may know the way to get rid of the current regime. However I have had many meetings with opposition leaders, and they presented three options to me - to join a political party, to act alone and just do my job. No one wanted to foment a revolution in this country,” Shalva Ramishvili told an Alia correspondent when asked to respond to Gachechiladze’s question.
“Why should Shalva Ramishvili scream when others should have done it…? I chose to do what I am doing now. Unfortunately, most of the positions of those who fight against Saakashvili might be morally justified, but this does not change anything in the country.
“I would like to tell Utsnobi and other public figures that their deeds cannot be called politics and steps towards the prosperity of the country. This is why I have decided not to integrate with these people. I seem to have different opinions to them and I believe the situation will be not changed by the opposition leaders, neither by specific individuals nor the whole leadership of the opposition,” he noted.
‘I did not go on Cell Number 5 because I am very tired. You should not relate this refusal to me being with Imedi. I did not ask Misha Saakashvili to pardon me. We had certain relations before, but this was a matter of principle.
“Please, do not consider me a self-sacrificing fighter against the regime. I would never have asked for any pardon from Saakashvili. But my activities after my release are a different issue,” Ramishvili said.