Repression claims in Georgia

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:15:00 +0000

BATUMI, Georgia (AP) — Wherever she goes, journalist Ekaterine Dugladze is followed by a group of men carrying video cameras. Saying they're reporters, they shove microphones into her face and pester her with meaningless questions and vulgar remarks.

Dugladze, who works for an opposition-funded news agency, claims they're henchman of President Mikhail Saakashvili sent to harass her.

"They prevent me not only from working, but even from moving around," said Dugladze. "This is the authorities' way of responding to the questions we ask them."

Saakashvili boasts that Georgia has become a "beacon of democracy" since he took office in 2004. But critics charge that democracy is dimming: Opposition leaders, watchdogs and journalists complain of official intimidation and accuse the government of resorting to Soviet methods of clamping down on dissent.

The small, but strategically located South Caucasus nation is the West's most loyal ally in a troubled region. The United States has indicated it will be closely monitoring the Oct. 1 parliamentary election and the state of democracy here.

Salon.com > Mikhail Saakashvili

Repression claims in Georgia