On July 7, 2011, early in the morning, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia arrested four photographers on charges of espionage — Zurab Kurtsikidze, a photographer for the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA); Irakli Gedenidze, the personal photographer of the President; his wife, Natia Gedenidze, a photo reporter for Prime Time; and Gia Abdaladze, a photographer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press office. A fifth photographer, Shah Aivazov from the Associated Press, was released a few hours later. The charges carried a prison sentence of 8 to 12 years. The case immediately attracted extensive media attention.

The investigation was classified as “secret”, and defense lawyers were prohibited from discussing details of the case, leaving the public in the dark.

On July 8, journalists protested outside the so-called Moduli building in Tbilisi, demanding the release of their colleagues. The international watchdog Reporters Without Borders also issued a statement expressing concern about the arrest of a well-known photojournalist on espionage charges and urged the Georgian authorities to ensure transparency. Protests continued in the following days, including in front of the Georgian Parliament.

During the night of July 9, Natia Gedenidze was released, but the next morning the Tbilisi City Court ordered pre-trial detention for Irakli Gedenidze, Giorgi Abdaladze, and Zurab Kurtsikidze. The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a video of Irakli Gedenidze’s confession. The prosecution claimed that Gedenidze and Abdaladze, who worked in public institutions, photographed classified documents during their official duties and passed them to Kurtsikidze, who allegedly forwarded them to Moscow.

On July 11, the newspaper Alia, where Abdaladze worked, published a letter he sent from prison. He wrote: “I am convinced that my and my colleagues’ arrests are related to the photos we took of the May 26 crackdown. I have thought a lot about it and reached this conclusion.” According to him, on May 26, when riot police dispersed protesters, the photographers documented how the authorities used violence against civilians.

On July 16, ten independent television and radio broadcasters launched a live one-hour solidarity marathon at 7:00 p.m., linking their studios to jointly broadcast statements from politicians, civil society representatives, and journalists condemning the arrests.

Two days later, on July 18, it was announced that Giorgi Abdaladze and Zurab Kurtsikidze had also confessed, though the details of their confessions were never made public. On July 22, during a court hearing, the photographers confirmed that they had given their statements “without coercion.” The prosecution requested lenient sentences: four years of probation for Abdaladze and Irakli Gedenidze, three years for Kurtsikidze, and one year and six months for Natia Gedenidze. The court accepted the prosecutor’s request in full, and the photographers were released.

Reinvestigation

After the change of government in 2012, when the Georgian Dream coalition replaced the United National Movement, the photographers’ case was reopened, and its “secret” classification was lifted. A 2016 reinvestigation revealed that Giorgi Abdaladze, Zurab Kurtsikidze, and Irakli Gedenidze had actively documented the police brutality during the May 26, 2011 protest crackdown — photos that caused a public outcry and “negatively affected the then-government’s image.”

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, “As a result of the government’s dissatisfaction and in retaliation, on July 7, 2011, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Counterintelligence Department arrested Zurab Kurtsikidze, Giorgi Abdaladze, Irakli Gedenidze, and Natela Gedenidze in a special nighttime operation at their homes, on fabricated espionage charges.”

On November 22, 2018, the Court of Appeals overturned the previous guilty verdicts and fully acquitted the photographers.