Georgia: Photographers 'infiltrated institutions'

[July 08, 2011]  TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- Georgia on Friday vigorously defended the arrest of three photojournalists suspected of spying, saying they conducted a "serious infiltration of our institutions."

Rights activists in the former Soviet republic have raised freedom-of-speech concerns over Thursday's detentions of the three, including the personal photographer of President Mikhail Saakashvili. An Interior Ministry statement said they were accused of providing information to a special service of an unspecified foreign country to the detriment of Georgia's interests.

Saakashvili's spokeswoman said Friday that the three passed written documents to a spying network, and charges are yet to be filed.

"There is one point I should make very clear: this case is about a serious infiltration of our institutions," Manana Manjgaladze said in a website statement. "It is possible they will be charged for passing confidential information," she said.

The ministry statement identified the suspects as Irakli Gedenidze, the photographer for Saakashvili; Zurab Kurtsikidze of the European Pressphoto Agency and Foreign Ministry photographer Georgy Abdaladze. Gedenidze's wife also was arrested.

Kurtsikidze's attorney, Nino Andriashvili, told The Associated Press that her client says he is innocent. She declined to comment further. Abdaladze's lawyer, Ramaz Chinchaladze, told Georgia's Rustavi-2 television that he is innocent.

Chinchaladze on Friday read aloud a statement from Abdaladze, the Foreign Ministry photographer, to reporters.

"I have never betrayed my homeland with my work. I consider this all to be insanity and do not consider myself guilty," Chinchaladze quoted Abdaladze as saying.

Associated Press photographer Shakh Aivazov also was detained Thursday, but was released after several hours without being charged.

Abdaladze, a contract photographer, also has worked as a stringer for the AP, most recently covering clashes between police and protesters in Tbilisi in May.

Aivazov had his computer and computer disks seized after security forces entered his home before dawn on Thursday, and was still awaiting the return of the equipment on Friday.

The nongovernmental Center for Human Rights on Friday said the detentions were an attack on media freedoms and demanded the photographers' release.

[Associated Press; By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.