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Compiled by Etuna Tsotniashvili
Monday, September 29
Four hostages from Otobaia set free

Four men who were kidnapped from the village of Otobaia have been released after paying USD 2,000, Sakartvelos Respublika reports.

The four ethnic Georgians were detained in Gali police station. The separatist kidnappers told their families that they wanted to use part of the ransom money to bribe their chiefs and the rest to strengthen the Abkhaz Army by transferring it to the budget.



Abkhaz will not sell Engurhesi

Economic analyst Gia Khukhashvili is sure that Abkhazia will not sell Engurhesi, 24 saati writes. According to Khukhashvili it is impossible for Abkhazia to sell it because it is not Abkhazia’s property.

The analyst thinks that Russian companies will not be able to buy the facilities but could control it, creating a big energy problem for Georgia.



Natia Mikiashvili - Jondi’s candidate

Versia reports that Jondi Baghaturia and Natia Mikiashvili have formulated a plan to work together politically.

“After thinking about the matter for a long time I have made this decision. I don’t know how proper it is for a journalist to go in politics but I think that today this is a right step to take.

“My first initiative concerns free speech. Jondi Baghaturia has a plan to create a Journalists Defence Fund which will guarantee that the rights of journalists will be defended in court and elsewhere,” Mikiashvili stated.



Public Broadcaster re-establishes live political debates

On September 30 the Public Broadcaster of Georgia (GPB) will resume hosting live political debate programmes, Akhali Taoba reports. This decision was made on September 25 by the company’s management after a sitting of the Anti-Crisis Council.

“Debates will be held on air twice a week within the framework of the Adjara election campaign,” journalists were told by General Director of GPB Levan Kubaneishvili. “After the forthcoming elections to the Supreme Council of the Adjara Autonomous Region, the debates will continue but their frequency will be determined later,” he said.

The reinstitution of television debates has been an insistent demand of leading opposition parties. Debates between representatives of opposition and authorities were suspended after the Parliamentary elections in May of the current year.