Georgian snappers arrested for spying
Source: Agencies |
July 8, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
GEORGIAN President Mikhail Saakashvili's personal photographer was arrested yesterday on suspicion of espionage, along with his wife and two other photographers.
The Interior Ministry said in a terse statement that the detainees were Irakli Gedenidze, the photographer for Saakashvili; Zurab Kurtsikidze of the European Pressphoto Agency and Foreign Ministry photographer Georgy Abdaladze. Gedenidze's wife also was arrested.
Associated Press photographer Skakh Aivazov was also detained yesterday, but was released after several hours without being charged.
The statement said they were accused of providing information to a special service of an unspecified foreign country to the detriment of Georgia's interests. It gave no further details.
Abdaladze's lawyer, Ramaz Chinchaladze, told Georgia's Rustavi 2 his client and other suspects had insisted on their innocence.
Several people have been convicted recently by Georgian courts on charges of spying for Russia. In the most recent such ruling on Wednesday, a court in the Black Sea port of Batumi convicted a Russian citizen and eight Georgians of espionage and gave them prison sentences ranging from 11 to 14 years.
Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili told Russian Ekho Moskvy radio on Wednesday that his agency captured most of the Russian spies operating in Georgia, but is still tracking a few who are left.
"Georgia has cut 90 percent of the channels that Russian special services had," he said. Russia has dismissed the spy arrests in Georgia as a fabrication.
The Interior Ministry said in a terse statement that the detainees were Irakli Gedenidze, the photographer for Saakashvili; Zurab Kurtsikidze of the European Pressphoto Agency and Foreign Ministry photographer Georgy Abdaladze. Gedenidze's wife also was arrested.
Associated Press photographer Skakh Aivazov was also detained yesterday, but was released after several hours without being charged.
The statement said they were accused of providing information to a special service of an unspecified foreign country to the detriment of Georgia's interests. It gave no further details.
Abdaladze's lawyer, Ramaz Chinchaladze, told Georgia's Rustavi 2 his client and other suspects had insisted on their innocence.
Several people have been convicted recently by Georgian courts on charges of spying for Russia. In the most recent such ruling on Wednesday, a court in the Black Sea port of Batumi convicted a Russian citizen and eight Georgians of espionage and gave them prison sentences ranging from 11 to 14 years.
Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili told Russian Ekho Moskvy radio on Wednesday that his agency captured most of the Russian spies operating in Georgia, but is still tracking a few who are left.
"Georgia has cut 90 percent of the channels that Russian special services had," he said. Russia has dismissed the spy arrests in Georgia as a fabrication.
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