Journalist Appeals to Prosecutor’s Office Against Theatre Art Director

Editor of the Kartlis Khma (Voice of Kartli) newspaper (Gori) Saba Tsitsikashvili accuses Gori Theatre Art Director Soso Nemsadze in physical and verbal abuse against him.  The incident happened in the theatre several days before.  The journalist went to the theatre for getting public information.  March 14 he asked for the information about the play and fee expenses from January 1 2010, but he did not receive the requested data for almost a month.  Due to that Tsitsikashvili visited the theatre to clear the issue.

It is notesworthy that Gori Theatre has received GEL 315 thousand from the local budget this year and additionally the Ministry of Culture finances the theatre's play and fee expenses in framework of a grant program.  Other theatres of the country participate in the grant program of the Ministry also.

According to Tsitsikashvili the incident started in the courtyard of the theatre when the art director ironically and cynically spoke with him.

"I heard him say:  There he is, coming to sniff around.  He expressed his attitude right away and told me - Tell me, what do you want?  I said I was there to get the public information.  He was also insulting Asaval-Dasavali newspaper journalist and said - you can do nothing against me, neither you, nor that foolish journalist.  After that I went to the theatre administration office where they claimed I have already taken the requested information, although they could not show me the document confirming the fact.  I went back to Soso Nemsadze and told him the information has been lost.  He insulted me right away saying:  You are a fool.  Can't you understand you are disgracing yourself with your articles?  I told him if he could not speak normally I did not want to continue the conversation."

As the journalist recalls after that he went to the theatre lawyer's office, but according to Tsitsikashvili Nemsadze followed him saying:

"What? Are you angry?  Or are you sulky? Are you not speaking to us any more?"  He was irritated by the journalistic investigation printed in the Kartli Khma newspaper - "Nemsadze's Profitable System in Gori Theatre."  I ignored his provocative phrases.  From the theatre lobby the art director and manager of the theatre headed to their office and I continued my way to the lawyer's office.  Nemsadze still continued insulting me and said:  "I cannot speak properly with an idiot".

I again called on Nemsadze to speak properly and reminded him I was not one of his employees that he was used to insult permanently and that he should not be speaking to a journalist in that way.

"Yes, I can!", Nemsadze shouted.  Later in the theatre lawyer's office he grabbed me and pushed me out of the room.  "Who let him in here?  Get out of here!" he screamed.

After that Tsitsikashvili left the theatre and appealed to the Gori Municipality, Ministry of Culture, Gori Interior Service Department for reacting to the given incident.  He also asked the Prosecutor's Office to open the case according to the Georgian Criminal Code, Articles 153 and 154 - interference with professional journalistic work.

Media.ge spoke with the Gori theatre Art Director Soso Nemsadze who categorically refused physically and verbally insulting the journalist although admitted that he had a "dispute" with Tsitsikashvili.

"Tsitsikashvili went to the accounting office without permission.  He has to request the public information and those are responsible must give it to him.  In this case he behaved outrageously and incorrectly.  I asked him to leave the theatre.  My main goal is to manage the theatre and this person is looking for something.  He can look for anything he wants and take whatever information he wants because I'm working here with a contract.  I have no business with financial and accounting activities; I'm only responsible for the art activities of the theatre.  Tsitsikashvili just can't understand that.  He has problems with the fees and believes receiving a fee is a crime.  In the communist times when a director went to work in a region he received accommodation and a vehicle and now if I take a fee I will not be able to live.  That person has personal problems with Soso Nemsadze and has a biased approach to me.  He is making wrong conclusions and confusing the facts.  We did have dispute.  Is it possible to confuse one play with another?!  That's why I said it was foolish and Saba got irritate," Soso Nemsadze said.

After the publicizing of the given incident the journalist received public information from the theatre on April 12, although he claims that the information is incomplete.

April 14 the Prosecutor's Office officially notified Saba Tsitsikashvili that his appeal was passed to the Gori Department of Internal Affairs for further action.