The News in Brief
Tuesday, December 22
Woman suspected of killing her husband and son changes testimony
Reports say the woman, who is suspected of killing her husband and son, changed her testimony and does not intend to plead guilty any more.
Earlier, the Interior Ministry released video footage wherein the investigator claimed that the suspect admitted to the crime, but later the video was removed from the website. The Ministry has not yet commented on the motive of the removal.
Magda P, 25, was detained on the charge of premeditated murder on December 20. The investigation revealed that on December 20, at dawn, on Peradze Street of Tbilisi, the suspect inflicted multiple deadly injuries to her husband, Omar Q, 27, with a blunt object and later strangled her 5-year-old son to death. The suspect took the bodies from the apartment in order to cover the crime, but evidently did not finish what she had planned and escaped leaving the body of her husband in the yard and that of her son in her car. Magda P was arrested in a few hours after the bodies were discovered by her neighbours.
(IPN)
Proposal to prevent NGOs and media from ‘insulting traditional values’
A Georgian businessman has proposed to create a commission to prevent media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from insulting the country’s traditional values.
Levan Vasadze, who formally has the status of a ‘knight’ and is president of the Demographic Development Fund, is known for his radical conservative statements.
On Friday, he outlined his proposal to create a commission for protecting traditional values and asked the government to rapidly amend national legislation. The civic commission would control media outlets and NGOs ‘financed from abroad’.
There is aggression against church, family and national values, Vasadze said. He argued that national broadcasters are the sources of uneducated people, aggression and immorality.
He wants the commission to ‘strictly punish and prohibit the activity’ of every media outlet or NGO which insults the country’s traditional values, and such a measure should have a strong legal basis.
Speaking at a press conference, he also called on the government to introduce a plan for the rehabilitation and compensation for people oppressed by the previous government and punish the ideologues of the former regime, who in his words are continuing their ‘anti-state activities’.
“And if this will result in concern by certain foreign groups, your people will only be thankful for that,” he said, adding that it would also be a reward if it leads to Georgia sliding down the ‘so-called freedom rankings.’
Government officials have not yet responded to his calls.
(df WATCH)
Poland’s New Defence Minister Meets Georgian Counterpart during stopover in Tbilisi
Poland’s Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz met his Georgian counterpart Tina Khidasheli in Tbilisi airport early on Sunday morning.
Macierewicz, who became Poland’s defence minister in November, made a stopover in Tbilisi on his way to Afghanistan, according to the Georgian MoD.
“The implementation of the NATO-Georgia substantial package adopted at the NATO Wales summit was the main topic of our discussion,” the Georgian Defence Ministry said. “Poland is one of the leading countries in providing assistance to Georgia in the implementation of this package. Antoni Macierewicz reiterated Poland’s full support for Georgia on its path towards NATO membership.”
According to the Georgina MoD, “focus was made on Poland’s support in strengthening capacity of the Georgian special operations forces and the military police.”
Polish Special Forces Commander, Brigadier General Jerzy Gut, and Lieutenant General Marek Tomaszycki, the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Colonel Nikoloz Agladze, and Commander of the Georgian Special Operations Forces, Lieutenant-Colonel Dimitri Kiknadze, were also present at the meeting.
The two defence ministers also discussed the “security environment in the region” according to the Georgian MoD.
(Civil.ge)
Minority MP assaulted at Tbilisi airport
Minority MP Levan Bezhashvili has been verbally and physically abused at Tbilisi airport after returning from Kiev.
According to Rustavi 2, late last night Bezhashvili was assaulted by several people at the airport.
Police arrested two participants of the incident, while Bezhashvili was taken to the Interior Ministry's Investigation Department for questioning.
“Attacks on political leaders are being encouraged by the government. Nothing is being done in the country to achieve stability. This incident is much more serious than the arrest of our activists at the Rustavi 2 support rally in Kutaisi,” said Bezhashvili.
(IPN)
Reports say the woman, who is suspected of killing her husband and son, changed her testimony and does not intend to plead guilty any more.
Earlier, the Interior Ministry released video footage wherein the investigator claimed that the suspect admitted to the crime, but later the video was removed from the website. The Ministry has not yet commented on the motive of the removal.
Magda P, 25, was detained on the charge of premeditated murder on December 20. The investigation revealed that on December 20, at dawn, on Peradze Street of Tbilisi, the suspect inflicted multiple deadly injuries to her husband, Omar Q, 27, with a blunt object and later strangled her 5-year-old son to death. The suspect took the bodies from the apartment in order to cover the crime, but evidently did not finish what she had planned and escaped leaving the body of her husband in the yard and that of her son in her car. Magda P was arrested in a few hours after the bodies were discovered by her neighbours.
(IPN)
Proposal to prevent NGOs and media from ‘insulting traditional values’
A Georgian businessman has proposed to create a commission to prevent media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from insulting the country’s traditional values.
Levan Vasadze, who formally has the status of a ‘knight’ and is president of the Demographic Development Fund, is known for his radical conservative statements.
On Friday, he outlined his proposal to create a commission for protecting traditional values and asked the government to rapidly amend national legislation. The civic commission would control media outlets and NGOs ‘financed from abroad’.
There is aggression against church, family and national values, Vasadze said. He argued that national broadcasters are the sources of uneducated people, aggression and immorality.
He wants the commission to ‘strictly punish and prohibit the activity’ of every media outlet or NGO which insults the country’s traditional values, and such a measure should have a strong legal basis.
Speaking at a press conference, he also called on the government to introduce a plan for the rehabilitation and compensation for people oppressed by the previous government and punish the ideologues of the former regime, who in his words are continuing their ‘anti-state activities’.
“And if this will result in concern by certain foreign groups, your people will only be thankful for that,” he said, adding that it would also be a reward if it leads to Georgia sliding down the ‘so-called freedom rankings.’
Government officials have not yet responded to his calls.
(df WATCH)
Poland’s New Defence Minister Meets Georgian Counterpart during stopover in Tbilisi
Poland’s Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz met his Georgian counterpart Tina Khidasheli in Tbilisi airport early on Sunday morning.
Macierewicz, who became Poland’s defence minister in November, made a stopover in Tbilisi on his way to Afghanistan, according to the Georgian MoD.
“The implementation of the NATO-Georgia substantial package adopted at the NATO Wales summit was the main topic of our discussion,” the Georgian Defence Ministry said. “Poland is one of the leading countries in providing assistance to Georgia in the implementation of this package. Antoni Macierewicz reiterated Poland’s full support for Georgia on its path towards NATO membership.”
According to the Georgina MoD, “focus was made on Poland’s support in strengthening capacity of the Georgian special operations forces and the military police.”
Polish Special Forces Commander, Brigadier General Jerzy Gut, and Lieutenant General Marek Tomaszycki, the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Colonel Nikoloz Agladze, and Commander of the Georgian Special Operations Forces, Lieutenant-Colonel Dimitri Kiknadze, were also present at the meeting.
The two defence ministers also discussed the “security environment in the region” according to the Georgian MoD.
(Civil.ge)
Minority MP assaulted at Tbilisi airport
Minority MP Levan Bezhashvili has been verbally and physically abused at Tbilisi airport after returning from Kiev.
According to Rustavi 2, late last night Bezhashvili was assaulted by several people at the airport.
Police arrested two participants of the incident, while Bezhashvili was taken to the Interior Ministry's Investigation Department for questioning.
“Attacks on political leaders are being encouraged by the government. Nothing is being done in the country to achieve stability. This incident is much more serious than the arrest of our activists at the Rustavi 2 support rally in Kutaisi,” said Bezhashvili.
(IPN)