P.S. newspaper (Kutaisi) claims his professional activity is being interfered with and his family members are being threatened.  In 23-29 January P.S. issue the journalist published an article describing the 13 January 2012 fight that took place between Imereti region Governor and local residents in Sachkhere restaurant Mevenakhis Sakhli. 

Nodar Jojua told media.ge that on the third day after the article was published somebody called on the phone the Dean of the Samtredia region Kveda Gomi village school (the school where Jojua’s father teaches history class):  “they asked if my father Grigol Jojua is a member of the Georgian Dream, asked about the property declaration of our family and if we own a vehicle or not.  Several days after this phone call, as I learnt, they also called the Zeda Gomi village school Dean (my father teaches there too) and asked the same questions,” Nodar Jojua says. 

The journalist takes the given phone calls as a warning.  He explains that with such action they have shown him that his father will lose his job if he will continue writing such articles.  

“I’m not pro-governmental, or pro-opposition; I obtained information and reported it via the P.S. Is it a crime?” – Nodar Jojua asks.  According to him, the shock was so serious that at first he even thought about leaving journalism, although after certain consultations decided not to. 

P.S. journalist has appealed to the Public Defender’s Office for support and received a response that said:  on 1 March 2012 the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia sent the copy of the journalist’s appeal for further reaction to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia.  Additionally, the Public Defender’s office continues investigation of the given case and the Prosecutor’s office, by the law, has one month for issuing a response. 

When commenting to Nodar Jojua’s claims the Imereti Regional Administration said that they no nothing about this incident and if it is true, it must be condemned:  “Freedom of speech is protected in our region.  I truly believe in that.  It is very bad when information is reported without being checked, but that is the problem of journalist’s competence and naturally his (Nodar Jojua’s) family members should face problems because of it,” Zeinab Khachidze, Head of Imereti Regional Administration Service said.