Along with the “Top Secret” archival documents Institute for Developing of Freedom of Information has published excerpts from the official periodic media of the Soviet Georgia issued in March 1956. The newspapers were selected at the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia.

On February 25^th, 1956 at the closed XX Congress of the CP SU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev – the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of the USSR made the most unexpected and sensational speech “On the Personality Cult and its Consequences”. In this speech all the essential values that were imposed by the totalitarian state upon its population for the period of three decades were revealed and condemned. Khrushchev’s speech remained secret, until the Gorbachev’s era. Despite this fact, the document can be viewed as the pivoting point in the Soviet system’s historic changes. Information on “the Personality Cult of Stalin” was perceived by the population in the Soviet Union, especially by the younger generation in Georgia . This statement, led to mass protests in Georgia.

Read More »IDFI Publishes Collection of Newspapers Issued in March 1956

Nino Burjanadze, leader of the opposition People’s Assembly has sues Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV companies as well as The Tabula magazine at the court and the Journalists Charter of Ethics of Georgia.

Following the publication on the People’s Assembly website the copies of the complaint have been sent out to international journalism organizations too. The policy maker’s annoyance was due to the Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV report related to the policeman killed following the dispersal of the rally on the night of May 26.Reportedly the policeman was killed by Nino Burjanadze’s escort car.

“TV companies aired false stories which included criminal indictments against me. That was the simulated Kronika 2. The Tabula magazine violated the presumption of innocence through publishing my photo on the cover page bearing an inscription To Be Judged.” I wonder according to which article I am going to be tried by the spouse of Giga Bokeria, Secretary, National Security Council of Georgia while I have been posed no single question by the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” said Burjanadze.

Giga Bokeria’s spouse is Tamar Chergoleishvili, Editor-in-chief, The Tabula.

Read More »Nino Burjanadze Sues Media

Today, in many editorial offices of the world there is a process of combining media of different specificity (online media, print media, radio, television); databases are united enabling to actively compete in the market. Such leading media holdings as Daily Telegraph, Bild, Financial Times, BBC and many others have become a common newsroom. The new way to organize the work at an editorial office allows to optimize costs and simplify the structure of the editorial board. However, mixed editorial offices are not only an outlet for a shark business, but also a good outlet for small media organizations, trying to stay afloat in a crisis and in stiff competition. After all, the Internet holds the increasing share of income worldwide. In Armenia, unfortunately, only a small part of the print media fully develops an online course.

Read More »Pavel Chernikov: “Convergent Newsroom – Strategy of Survival”

Recently, BBC World News anchor-journalist Pooneh Ghoddoosi was in Yerevan to participate in Barcamp Yerevan 2011. She has worked for BBC Persian Television as presenter of the interactive programme “Nobat-e Shoma” (Your Turn) and is currently managing a project examining and promoting effective utilisation of social media across the BBC World Service.

Pooneh Ghoddoosi told JNews how she pictures the future of journalism and shared the secrets of how to be a competitive journalist.

-You are mentioning that there will always be someone who will know more about what is written or prepared by a journalist. How should the journalist overcome this challenge?

Read More »BBC World News Anchor: “Journalists Should Master a Number of Additional Technologies”

On June 2 a Turkish court handed down jail terms of between four and six months to a group of paramilitary policemen for negligence over the 2007 murder of a prominent ethnic Armenian journalist.

Hrant Dink, 52, was shot dead in January 2007 outside the office of his newspaper in central Istanbul.

A colonel and five subordinates who held key posts in the coastal city of Trabzon when a group of local youths hatched the plot were sentenced by a court in the Black Sea port.

Prosecutors said police received prior intelligence of a plot to kill Dink which had been organized in Trabzon, home to the self-confessed gunman, aged 17 at the time of the murder.

Dink had campaigned for reconciliation between Turks and Armenians over their bloody past.

In September, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Turkish authorities had failed to take adequate measures to protect Dink.

Source: RFE/RL

Read More »Turkish Policemen Sentenced Over Hrant Dink Murder

Haleh Sahabi had been let out of prison to attend the funeral of her father, Ezatollah Sahabi, himself a prominent political activist.

A journalist present at the funeral procession told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that a large group of plainclothes and security forces had beaten mourners at the funeral ceremony.

Haleh Sahabi was holding a photograph of her father in her hands when she was attacked by a group of plainclothes forces who tried to take the photograph away from her, the journalist said. She then headed towards her father’s coffin, but was beaten and pulled away from the coffin, which was taken away by government forces.

At this point, Haleh Sahabi suffered a heart attack, the journalist said.  She was taken to Lavasan clinic in Tehran but her life could not be saved.

Source: http://www.news.az/

Read More »Iranian activist dies at father’s funeral

Haleh Sahabi had been let out of prison to attend the funeral of her father, Ezatollah Sahabi, himself a prominent political activist.

A journalist present at the funeral procession told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that a large group of plainclothes and security forces had beaten mourners at the funeral ceremony.

Haleh Sahabi was holding a photograph of her father in her hands when she was attacked by a group of plainclothes forces who tried to take the photograph away from her, the journalist said. She then headed towards her father’s coffin, but was beaten and pulled away from the coffin, which was taken away by government forces.

At this point, Haleh Sahabi suffered a heart attack, the journalist said.  She was taken to Lavasan clinic in Tehran but her life could not be saved.

Source: http://www.news.az/

Read More »Iranian activist dies at father’s funeral

Suren Deheryan, president of the “Journalists for the Future” NGO, has spread an open letter addressed to the RA Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan. Today Deheryan personally handed the letter to Andreasyan during the forum “Human Rights: Defender’s Platform” at the Kecharis Hotel in Tsaghkadzor, in the presence of about 120 participants. The letter is represented below:

Dear Mr. Andreasyan,

I apply to you as a person who, together with his colleagues, has been closely cooperating with the deaf and hearing impaired young people teaching them skills of photography, journalism and the internet over the recent 8 months. The course participants have represented the issues and unequal conditions for the deaf in Armenia during the classes, as well as out of them and in friends’ environment. I am sure that all those issues are solvable in case of manifestation of will by the state, the society and individuals.

In this letter I would like to refer to one of the issues indicated by all the deaf.

This is not related to their socio-economic status, but is just a moral-psychological problem and is directly linked to their constitutional rights to be informed as people and citizens of the Republic of Armenia, who want their rights be respected.

Read More »Open Letter to RA Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan

“Amnesty champions women, children and oppressed minorities, fights torture, campaigns against the death penalty, defends prisoners of conscience and the rights of refugees, and calls oppressive regimes to account. Its inspiring vision is of a world in which every person enjoys the freedoms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” British Guardian writes presenting the activities of well-known human rights protecting organization.

“On May 28 Fatullayev was given a special Amnesty award for his quiet heroism. Fatullayev has been beaten up, intimidated with death threats, and finally thrown in jail. He was dramatically freed last week, a release he attributed to Amnesty.

Amnesty’s history reminds us that the battle for free speech must be fought and won anew in every successive generation. After 60 years of service its power and its relevance are undimmed,” Guardian writes.

Source: http://times.am

Read More »Amnesty International awarded Eynulla Fatullayev

Reporters Without Borders is deeply shocked by the violence used by the Georgian security forces in the early hours of May 26 against journalists covering an anti-government demonstration in Tbilisi.

“According to our sources, at least a dozen journalists were attacked or detained by the police, who seem to have lost their self-control,” Reporters Without Borders said. “This use of force against reporters who were just covering events is intolerable. We urge both the authorities and the opposition to respect journalists, who must not be the collateral victims of the current political tension.”

Thousands of people have been demonstrating every day in Georgia since 21 May to demand President Saakashvili’s departure. On May 26, shortly after midnight, interior ministry police used force to disperse the opposition demonstration taking place on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi after warning the protesters they would have to vacate the street for celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of Georgia’s independence.

The police fired tear-gas and rubber bullets and used batons to disperse the protesters. Journalists were verbally and physically attacked in the ensuing melee. Cameras and video cameras were seized or destroyed. And some reporters were arrested without justification.

Read More »Reporters Without Border: At Least A Dozen Journalists Attacked By Police In Tbilisi