Journalist Says He Was Forced to Strip and Perform Physical Exercises in Detention Facility

Giorgi Mamniashvili, a TV Pirveli journalist who was detained during the 22 November protest, says he was subjected to “inhumane treatment” during his admission to the detention facility stating that he was forced to undress completely and perform physical exercises.

His lawyer, Tornike Miginieshvili, made the statement after visiting Mamniashvili at the Dighomi detention facility, emphasizing that such treatment is prohibited by law.

“Giorgi Mamniashvili’s rights were fundamentally violated: 1. According to Giorgi, from the moment of his detention including while in the police building, during transportation, and upon entering the detention facility he repeatedly requested access to a lawyer, but was denied. 2. He was forced to undress and made to perform physical exercises. Both actions are explicitly prohibited by law,” – Miginieshvili said.

Notably, earlier this year, in June, the Public Defender filed a constitutional claim, stating that the Ministry of Justice had agreed to eliminate the practice of requiring detainees to undress as part of full inspections.

Giorgi Mamniashvili was detained by police on Rustaveli Avenue on 22 November. According to Nodar Meladze, head of TV Pirveli’s news department, Mamniashvili was performing his professional duties at the time and working alongside another reporting crew that was broadcasting live.

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics condemned the detention of the TV Pirveli journalist during professional work and called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure his immediate release.

The Charter urges the Ministry to take responsibility for police misconduct, identify and appropriately sanction officers who obstruct journalists from covering protests and, in some cases, detain them.

“Such treatment of journalists by police is completely unacceptable and is part of a coordinated strategy of pressure on the media, the ultimate goal of which is to deprive the public of reliable, balanced, fact-based information and analysis. The Charter expresses solidarity with Giorgi Mamniashvili and all journalists whose professional rights were violated by police while covering pro-European protests over the past year,”
the statement reads.