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The News in Brief

Friday, March 15
Doctors stop hunger strike

With the dismissal of Kakha Chikhladze, doctors of the Emergency Medical Service have stopped their hunger strike. "We decided to stop the hunger strike today and continue fighting using other means." Dr. Levan Lomsianidze said. (IPN)



Interior Minister to visit Parliament on March 18th

Eka Beselia, Chairperson for the Human Rights Committee, announced that the Minister of Internal Affairs Irakli Gharibashvili will visit Parliament on March 18th. The Minister has been summoned to Parliament concerning the incident which took place in front of the National Library on February 8th. However, United National Movement MPs say they have many questions to ask Gharibashvili. (Rustavi 2)



Former head of Penitentiary Department wanted by Interpol

Davit Chakua, former Head of the Penitentiary Department, is wanted by Interpol.

Data about Chakua has been posted on the Interpol website. Chakua is charged with abuse of power, falsification of evidence and exerting pressure on witnesses, victims, experts and interpreters. (IPN)



Penitentiary department has a new head

Former prosecutor Mikheil Gurtskaia has been appointed as Head of the Penitentiary Department.Maia Khasia, the former Head of the Penitentiary Department, has been transferred to the Penitentiary and Probation Educational Centre. Reports say Khasia was dismissed from her previous position due to an incident which took place in a women's prison a few days ago. (IPN)



Irakli Gharibashvili visits France

The Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs Irakli Gharibashvili is visiting the General Secretariat of Interpol in Lyon, France.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the visiting Georgian delegation is comprised of Aleksandre Atakashvili, the Head of the National Bureau of Interpol in Georgia and the Head of MIA Administration Tamar Taliashvili.

On March 14th the MIA delegation met with Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble. After the meeting, an agreement on "Recognition of Interpol Travel Documents” (passport and ID documents) was signed.

Holders of Interpol travel documents will be given a special visa status and granted with either visa-free status, urgent or special visas.

Meetings are also planned to be held with various sub-divisions existed within the structure of the Interpol General Secretariat, which will further stimulate enhancement of cooperation and planning between Interpol and the Georgian MIA. (Front News)



Delegation of Georgian businessmen to arrive in Moscow on March 18th

A delegation of Georgian businessmen will arrive in Moscow on March 18th, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said at a meeting with the regional media on Thursday. Ivanishvili said more than 90 companies want to export mineral water and alcoholic drinks to Russia. Forty of them have already reached an agreement with the Russian government and will be allowed to export to the Russian market. The Prime Minister said that mineral water and alcoholic drinks will not be the only Georgian products exported to Russia as the Georgian government is currently discussing the export of Georgian agricultural products to its northern neighbour. (IPN)



Ex-Head of GPB files lawsuit

Giorgi Baratashvili, former General Director of Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), has filed a lawsuit appealing the GPB Board’s decision on his dismissal. Baratashvili was sacked by the GPB Board after just two months as head of the television station.

As an interim measure and pending the court’s final decision, Baratashvili has asked the Tbilisi City Court to order suspension of the current application process for the position of GPB’s General Director.

The deadline for applying to the vacant post expired on the evening of March 14th; there were twenty applicants as of March 13th. The court is expected to decide about the interim measure within the next three days.

According to the lawsuit, the GPB Board's decision was reached without the required quorum. (Civil.Ge)



Rock cliff collapsed on the Vake-Saburtalo Highway

On the evening of March 13th vehicle traffic was closed in both directions of the Vake-Saburtalo District Highway due to the collapse of a section of a rock cliff bordering Tamarashvili Street. Fire brigade personnel washed down the remaining rocks from the cliff, while the area was cleared of rock and debris. The road was re-opened for traffic after approximately an hour of work. (Georgian News TV)