The Prosecution Service of Georgia has indicted two individuals for persecuting a TV Pirveli cameraman because of his professional activities by using violence.

Investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Service has found that on June 18, the TV Pirveli cameraman was near May 6 Park in Batumi together with his young children as he was performing his professional activity as a journalist, specifically, to put a respondent on the air live.

Before going live, the cameraman set up the camera of the television company while his young child was holding a microphone with a TV Pirveli logo, when the defendants approached them, expressed their discontent with the journalist activities of TV Pirveli by shouting various offensive remarks and swearing at the employee of the television company.

The defendants physically assaulted the TV Pirveli cameraman by striking him multiple times while verbally abusing him.

Officers of the Special Investigation Service arrested the defendants on June 21. They have been charged under Article 156 §2 (a) (persecution, related to one’s professional activities, committed by using violence) of the Criminal Code of Georgia that entails imprisonment for a term of 3 years as a penalty.

The Prosecution Service of Georgia has already filed a motion with the court to impose detention on the defendants as a measure of constraint.

We would like to stress that the Prosecution Service of Georgia pursues strict criminal policy with respect to cases of persecution of journalists because of their professional activities and interference with journalist’s professional activities.