paper he looks into the cases. and. paper reports some of tried to intimidate him and he's been beaten up several times in. concussion. and screaming please don't kill me. the georgian television shocked the nation on march thirteenth two thousand. journalists had put together a story. between russia and georgia they presented a hypothetical scenario. news event. took it at face value. hypertonic crisis and breastpin. showing real news. in the story. who's to blame for the intimidation of journalists.

of minimizing opposition in the georgian media. this small village. in the foothills of the caucasus mountains it's saturday march thirteenth two thousand and ten. comes home after a day's work at a vineyard and falls asleep in a room watching the evening news on the t.v. channel. i was sleeping on the sofa. when the program began my father was sitting here. watching from. up because mother was screaming about the start of. when i saw father lying on the floor. i can't remember clearly what happened next somebody rushed to the neighbors to ask them for help. my father

when they are about ambulance arrived he was already dead. the ambulance came just fifteen minutes after being called the cause of death according to doctors. induced by a programme on the t.v. channel. involving georgian political analysts and journalists and eight pm viewers didn't see that usually scheduled. instead they were shown a thirty minute program creating the impression that a war had broken out between russia and georgia the anchor woman on the talk show had announced that the program would be based on a fictional situation only a minute before it started so anybody who tuned into the program after that warning thought they were watching a regular news bulletins. in a few minutes president saakashvili is expected to make a special statement on the situation in the country we don't know if it's going to be recorded all written but it's been reported that the russian troops deployed

have been put on combat. descriptives something straight out of a hollywood action flick russian tanks approach tbilisi the president's life is in danger meanwhile opposition leaders go to moscow to meet members of the russian government in the film bush and. russian agents without mincing words so according to the authors of the program the moscow talks are about regime change and dividing georgian territory. you may be certain about this that by eight thirty an outraged crowd was in front of the building housing the television company. it's true that wanted milan a change of government it was why haven't they detained the people featured in the script up still. saakashvili has to bear in mind that she must produce concrete facts about being otherwise he will demonstrate once again that she's

a liar and irresponsible provocator god someone of. a russian agent agent. the most common epithets for those who disagree with the policies of the georgian government that it's any. journalist. investigations. popularity long before. he was the kind of journalist uncomfortable questions regardless of who held the country's reins. problems cropped up and came to a head after the so-called rose revolution. there is almost no free press. that. the current. situation couldn't have been imagined.

investigation to discover real facts concerning the two thousand and eight georgian conflict. capital of south. this is interview with a human rights campaigner. she recounts events of august seventh two thousand and eight nobody seen it besides himself but georgia state controlled media didn't need to declare it a provocation on august the seventh georgia's president mikheil saakashvili welcome remit to any form and. he addressed the people of self to say. just say he had a unilateral cease fire. he said. to any provocation. and he is sure to said they could go to bed in peace he spots.

i on the night of august the eight large caliber guns fired on scene vall from the georgian side. the military operation second surely referred to as the enforcement of constitutional order in the territory of self the set you had begun. yes i will cop to face something really terrible at the end there was a deafening noise everything was shaking. and the women in the streets with ninety minute crying. was as if we had launched into. after the will cain explosion with. the independent journalist working as such it was seen by many in georgia as a betrayal of his country. i know of no journalist i wouldn't want to go to. to get the facts but all the state media summed up my work there as high treason

nobody knows what sort of film it will be nobody knows what materials i found that the government's reaction is a kind of attempt at self-defense realizes that many facts exist and it is better for them and these are exposed by discredited journalist branded as a traitor. during this work on the film after his return from south. for an interview with european human rights activists in geneva before his departure there he received hints to the effect that he'd better stay in geneva as long as his large family wanted to stay in georgia who. had lots of problems after my return from. i don't wish to talk about them no because whatever i say may hinder the investigation so i can. i only say that there were open threads but i won't say what those threats are because they are humiliating. things first

investigations appeared on the television channel this channel played a key role in the rose revolution which brought president mikhail saakashvili to power. georgian people are not. independent. truly independent media outlets. but out of the field they reduce revolution in the them but two thousand and three. to the independence. we couldn't imagine a situation without independent. stovey to made its debut in one thousand nine hundred four as a small studio in a private apartment ten years later it was already a popular modern channel as soon as he came to power he tried to bring its editorial policy under his control. journalists were denied accreditation and there were telephone calls to the channel's executives there were also attempts to buy up

stock through figureheads. the media mogul who founded to seed the channel to the president of his own accord. in two thousand and four when the state was taking its first steps it was assumed that the new system of government was still weak. so it was thought the state should be the top priority and the rest would take care of itself. but as it turned out the aim was to take control of the channel i'm to blame for giving away so i didn't want to rock the boat. that boat is still on an even keel but freedom of speech is not. really is the editor of a small district newspaper in the town of. it carries reports about corruption among members of the district's administration one of them. high profile articles reveals instances of misuse of humanitarian aid to refugees. local authorities

don't want to accept the existence of an independent newspaper even though its circulation is a mere five hundred copies. i dropped into the building of the local administration yesterday i needed to fishel information on some remittance from gori to tbilisi the guards kicked me downstairs and pushed me against the wall did anyone see that yes indeed later i called the police. that i had fallen to the girl and some of the officials there said it serves me right that's what they said in front of ordinary visitors. first met in two thousand and five when the authorities openly threaten a journalist for the first time someone lives in a small village eight kilometers from bored he goes to work by suburban train once he noticed that he was being followed. me in the streets for two days on the third day as i came down the staircase. he was

standing right in front of me it's me. another. guy fell to the ground and covered my head with my hand. they had me again and again my face was covered with blood and my body was aching. despite the injuries decided not to give up editorial policy remains unchanged. every month we give you the future we help you understand how. to bring the best in science and technology from across russia and around the world its knowledge and update on r g.

november two thousand and seven thousands of people hold daily rallies in tbilisi a protest against the policies of the georgian government and president mikheil saakashvili. member seventh authorities used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators. then independent committee has closely followed events for the past week. journalists go on the air with the latest reports from the most unexpected places and then images just as you can see behind my back this is right now at this very moment the special forces troops head into this thanks we need to see trial and then. this would be the last day of independence special forces troops broke into a mini studios during a live broadcast. by

closing the channel the government is violating the constitution this means that this is a dictatorship regime. into the studio i want to say thank you i hear shots in the control room. employees will be injured. guests. that's what i did if journalism because of problems created by saakashvili because our t.v. channel had been shut down after all he made he has restored broadcasting my friends and i had remained faithful to our decision. together withdraw to get many of the journalists have left the channel some of them came back to the profession to the former music t.v. channel. for many years there were no politics on this channel just music video. founded maestro in one thousand nine hundred four he would never have imagined that in fifteen years he'd be replacing d.j.'s with political commentators.

entertainment programming was a very high standard. maybe. we should do something about. simply couldn't. we wanted a new company to step into to become a broadcaster. normally a license for so-called political broadcasting is issued within three weeks but they were denied it for nearly six months on our guests had no right to discuss anything besides films music and theater. that's the only word for us political talk shows were. the sound was provided by radio. people wishing to see our talk shows had to switch on the television radio sets at

the same time. maestros ingenuity is the envy of other television stations although the my search channel is only available in some districts of tbilisi and on the internet its popularity in the country grows with each passing month this media underdog attracts people's attention with its smart in an orthodox techniques . very difficult to live in one room twenty four hours a day filming your every move. is very difficult. to some hard thinking before alone just projected. he's confined to a small studio. with .

ah. public defender georgia.

being threatened. after they refused to extend. for a time. gave up his journalism career and worked as an assistant public defender. but he couldn't stay away from his chosen profession for long. very close relationship. with his investigations.

were interesting. didn't. they covered political scandals the. one of. his most sensational films examines the mysterious death of former prime minister. george and he was such. was the person whose political influence kept limits on the real power of president saakashvili. two thousand and five prime minister died quite unexpectedly on their own. as the georgian government said. it inconvenient and suspicious facts that question the official version saying he

died of gas poisoning. the case is still relevant the nation has asked questions about the. government has still failed to answer. in his film. collected and explained the many discrepancies in the case he set out the facts and ask questions without trying to draw conclusions. of the film's release. the intimidation and continued his investigations. at last the government had forced the journalist to flee the country telling us swiss authorities to grant him political asylum. says he was among those demonstrating in front of the swiss embassy in tbilisi in support of. holding is a very good illustration of the situation in the country now the freedom of speech

is being ousted from the country as the poster reads freedom of speech is. independent media depends on advertising for survival if there's no advertising there's no revenue in this case a publication either each out its existence or shuts down altogether. advertisers are scared i mean local georgian advertisers and. they will always come under pressure from taxes. if they put up advertisements in defiance of. tax inspectors book sales. and so on and so forth. the holding company publishes the georgian times weekly. only because of other activities its top executives. was branded as a kremlin agent a long time ago for his attempts to establish a dialogue with the russian intellectual elite. the set up is appropriately called

the russo georgian commission for dialogue when he was on a visit to russia in two thousand and nine he attempted to invite several well known russian journalists to come to georgia. we didn't. we realize as a player that we would have to answer some very tough questions. to at least establish a direct woman in a night so i dawdled with georgian counterparts. to find some great truth. of the three journalists invited by mouth. only one was allowed to cross the border maxime shift change and his colleague had to stay in the tbilisi airport an hour before their arrival president mikheil saakashvili had sent special forces to the airport with the aim of detaining the two journalists the troops cordon off the building into positions outside the exit to passport control the conflict was

resolved by relatively peaceful means the unwelcome journalists were denied visas and sent back to russia as fast as possible. but. i felt very deeply insulted people here know that a georgian holds in high esteem by never been so insulted by. the time will come when the people who. will be punished accordingly. the second patriarch of georgia expected to meet with the three russian journalists in his residence on the day of their arrival but he saw only one of them during the meeting the patriarch made it clear that he sincerely regretted the incident. no wish to give gifts. at the airport now. as a move the patriarch of the georgian church is very guarded in his statements he made

no public comment on the incident at the airport but when he made it showed the shocking program simulating a war between russia and georgia he hardly minced his words and expressing his frustration. we do not welcome such programs this is humiliating to individuals i'm a nation as a. country much as the. spread in georgia we take first place that. part of the army had joined the enemy. this is an insult to our army. tremendous guilt people. move through. the program should be made and. property is the. program is one of the signs of that.

control intimidation or unemployment. case in point staying in a shelter for refugees in switzerland he's unable to complete his film about the georgian conflict. i'm worried not so much for my own sake as for my family georgian government has shown that they can kill. his wife and children to receive visas enjoined from abroad he's warned them not to meet with journalists and to keep off the streets as much as possible he gets most of the news about his family and his country through close friends. tell me who are they take care of here immigration problems. chances are i myself might come back before october if the government changes. the government.

will yes why not it's cost. us telling is still working on the script of a new film nobody's seen it yet but he's already scared the georgian government back. as an investigative journalist he's confident that some day he will be able to finish his work take his findings back home to his native country.

the number of dead in wildfire sweeping russia rises to fifty two firefighters stepped up to their battle as flames are approaching areas contaminated after the noble catastrophe. russian president dmitry medvedev calls for a name change for a law enforcement agencies as well as a law to limit their use of force. and hold

a new president bronislaw komorowski sworn in to a five year term he succeeds lech kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash in russia in april. six am here in moscow i match reza thanks for joining us here on r t our top story with the summer heat wave now fueling wildfires in twenty two regions across russia the death toll has risen to fifty two more than thirty five hundred people have been left homeless meanwhile the capital is shrouded in dense smog the worse the city has ever experienced stacey bivins has more. the small just really has come in and has blanketed no matter how healthy you may be doctors are saying to stay indoors and if you have to from any reason they're urging you to wear

a mask it's awful outside and it hurts to breathe this stuff and then once you do taste it for hours after you've gone inside your homes are also getting reports that in certain areas throughout moscow the air quality is twenty times poorer than usual so this is a very serious situation this is all going down as firefighters continue to battle blazes throughout the country six hundred fires and so far one hundred fifteen thousand have been burned but to give you an idea exactly how big that is we're talking about lining up one hundred fifteen thousand baseball fields or one hundred fifteen thousand international rugby field that's a huge amount and seven regions has been declared a national disaster area with emergency ministry is also worried about their air we're not just talking about the pollution and the smog that we see now but we're also talking about radioactive particles that could find its way into the air the ministry has its eye on the creature and which was affected by.