Formula TV journalist Vakho Sanaia was attacked by three individuals in central Tbilisi earlier today.
The Georgian Interior Ministry has reported that the three individuals who were under the influence of alcohol attacked Sanaia and his relative. Police say that the detainees face up to two years in prison.
Sanaia told Formula TV that he was attacked in Vake district, central Tbilisi, on his way to home from Tbilisi International Airport.
According to Sanaia, he and his sister-in-law came to the airport to pick up Sanaia’s wife, his underage child and a nurse who were in Turkey for treatment.
He said that the road was iced and they had to call an emergency service in Vake to help them.
Sanaia says that the three individuals, ‘who were under the influence of alcohol’ were district locals and they ‘expressed aggression to me as a journalist.’
"They were cursing television and media outlets. I was helping the emergency service staff when one of them ran to me to attack. I felt he was running to me and stood aside. He fell down. However, as the road was iced, I also fell down and two others also ran to me and started to beat," Agenda.ge cited him as saying.
He stated that his wife, child and sister-in-law were in the car that time. "My sister-in-law came to help me and she was also attacked," Sanaia said.
He stated that the emergency service personnel helped them and police came shortly and detained the individuals at the scene. Sanaia says he sustained multiple injuries on his body.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has condemned the attack. "A timely and effective reaction to the incident must be a message to those who use violence,"Talakvadze said.
