Georgia, Tbilisi, July 22 / Trend, N. Kirtskhalia /
The Tbilisi City Court has today released four Georgian photographers accused of spying for Russia from a courtroom. Judge Zurab Esebua made this decision on the request of the Georgian Main prosecutor's Office.
A procedural agreement has been concluded between press photographers detained on charges of spying for Russia and the Main Prosecutor's Office of Georgia. The Prosecutor's Office has already appealed to the Tbilisi City Court with a petition for a suspended sentence. The petition reads:
"We apply for: 1. Approve a procedural agreement concluded with Zurab Kurtsikidze, Giorgi Abdaladze, Irakli Gedenidze and Natia Gedenidze with the help of their lawyers on July 22, 2011, 2. To make a verdict without considering the case to the point on the criminal case No.081210711001, on the crime provided by first part of Article 314 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
The accused Zurab Kurtsikidze has been found guilty of committing the crime under the first part of Article 314 of the Criminal Code and as a primary punishment and preventive measure to determine 2-years imprisonment and based on Article 63-64 of the Criminal reckon the suspended sentence with three years' trial period.
The accused Giorgi Abdaladze has been found guilty of committing the crime under the first part of Article 314 of the Criminal Code and as a primary punishment and preventive measure to determine three years in prison and based on Articles 63-64 of the Criminal Code to reckon the suspended sentence with four-year trial period.
The defendant Irakli Gedenidze has been found guilty of committing a crime under the first part of Article 314 of the Criminal Code and as a primary punishment and preventive measure to determine three years in prison and based on Articles 63-64 to reckon the suspended sentence with four-year trial period.
The accused Natia Gedenidze has been found guilty of committing a crime under the first part of Article 314 and Article 25 of the Criminal Code of Georgia and as a primary punishment and preventive measure to determine 6-month imprisonment and based on Articles 63-64 of the Criminal Code to reckon the suspended sentence with trial period of one year and six months," the petition says.
Zurab Kurtsikidze (representative of the European Press Photo Agency in Georgia) Irakli Gedenidze (photographer of presidential administration press service), his wife Natia Gedenidze - also a photographer and George Abdaladze (press photographer at the Georgian Foreign Ministry and "Alia Holding") are accused of transmitting information to organizations related with the secret services of one of the countries harming the interests of Georgia, using official position.
Photojournalists were arrested by the Georgian Interior Ministry's counter-intelligence on July 7.