“Civil society formation process and media in the

Caucasus region”

Tinatin DvalishviliDirector, Caucasus Center for Journalists – CCFJ

Doctoral student, Tbilisi State University

Media in Caucasus region

The freedom of internet excess and freedom of press in Caucasus Region

Did people believe media in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia?

Press Freedom (2014)• Armenia - Status – NOT FREE – Score - 62• Azerbaijan – Status – NOT FREE – Score – 84• Georgia – Status - PARTLY FREE – Score – 47

Internet Freedom (2013)• Armenia - Status – FREE – 29 • Azerbaijan – Status – PARTLY FREE – Score – 52• Georgia – Status - FREE – Score - 26

(0 = best. 100 = worst)

Freedom House

“Azerbaijan Criminalizes Online Libel and Insult” (RFE/RL)

Azerbaijan has at least nine journalists in prison

(Committee to Protect Journalists, 2014)

President of Azerbaijan approved amendments to Criminal Code establishing criminal penalties for defamation on the Internet

(June 4, 2013) includes imprisonment of up to three years

(Caucasian Knot)

Parviz Hashimli, Bizim Yol journalist and chair of human rights NGO, was arrested and sentenced to 8 Years on

charges of illegal possession of weapons. Newspaper known for its coverage of corruption and human rights abuses.

Chief editor of the independent newspaper P.S. Nota, Sardar Alibeyli, was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of hooliganism; “… enemies of

the Azerbaijani press — an organized group of people in power”.

Blogger Rasad Ramazanov was

jailed for nine years for drug possession.

“He (Ilham Aliyev) probably wants to get into the Guinness Book of Records”.

Rauf Mirgadirov was arrested in Turkey, deported in Azerbaijan and imprisoned for three months. He had often

criticized both Turkish and Azeri authorities for human rights abuses (CPJ)

Seymur Hezi, a reporter working for Azadliq, Azerbaijan’s last independent newspaper, was sentenced to a two month pretrial

detention charged with disorderly conduct. have been sentenced to 220 hours of community works

Ilgar Nasibov was beaten to death. Ilgar works for Radio Free Europe and the agency Turan, he also works for the “Resource

Centre for Promoting NGOs and Democracy”.

Avaz Zeynalli, Editor-in-chief, and founder, of Xural newspaper - sentenced to 9 years in prison after a closed trial. Zeynalli’s newspaper was “one of a

handful of independent media voices” in Azerbaijan (Global Investigation Journalism Network)

Azerbaijan 2013

Armenia• Print and online media - diverse.• Television most popular medium – bias.• Online media—including social media—were

involved in as many conflicts and lawsuits in 2013 as traditional news sources.

• threats and attacks against journalists increased from 4 cases in 2012 to 10 in 2013

Freedom house

a police officer pushed and verbally abused Ani Hovannisyan, a reporter for Hetq.am, a website run by the Investigative

Journalists NGO

Anonymous: “You will behave correctly, won’t put your nose into wrong places or things will be terribly bad for you… I warn you. I’m not going to call you again. We know where you live, where your relatives live and … have all the information about you… Or else, dear Ani, you or one of your loved ones will end up in a pit…”.

journalist Armen Dulyan was fired from his job as a presenter on Shant TV for making a derogatory Facebook comment about the public broadcaster

Intellectual property, both legally and in practice, was not well protected in 2013

Freedom House

Copyright issue• The editors-in-chief of nine Armenian print media published a statement

expressing concern over the growing number of copyright violations online and asserting that online media republishing other outlets’ work should be required to sign contracts with the original publications.

• A month later, the editors of 15 online media made a joint statement to the same effect.

• In response, the parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Copyright.

• Reporters Without Borders is very worried by a bill that Armenia’s parliament plan to adopt.

• It would hold media responsible for comments posted on their websites and for content they reproduce from elsewhere on the Internet.

Armenia 2013

Georgia

Ministry of Economy, State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Georgia and the European Union signed Association Agreement.

The shocking videos, which were published by social network, were the videos about being in prisons and pre-trial detentions. The videos recorded beating, psychological and physical pressure, including the rape.

Vano Merabishvili, the former Prime Minister, ex-Interior Minister of Georgia

Nino Shubladze, anchor and deputy director of main TV station: “I have already decided to temporarily remove myself from the media space…”

Zurab Chiaberashvili, ex-Minister for Healthcare and member of the ex-ruling party in Georgia

Georgia 2013

conclusion

• Less Media Free = more people believes on media and more they active.

Thank You!!!

Tinatin DvalishviliTel.: +995 599 06 58 06Tel.: +995 599 58 55 71

E-mail: tinatin.dvalishvili@sps.stu.edu.ge;tiniko.tinano@gmail.com;

Facebook: Caucasus Center for Journalists