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A POLITICAL SCANDAL has rocked pro-Western Georgia after a sex video of an opposition party member was posted online and other politicians received similar threats, just months before parliamentary polls.
A secretly recorded video posted on YouTube on Friday appeared to show a female leader from the opposition Free Democrats party making love to a partner who was not the prominent politician’s spouse.
The pro-Western Free Democrats confirmed that the person in the video was one of its members but did not give any more details.
The Georgian political establishment received another jolt when a new video emerged threatening to leak sex tapes of two politicians from the ruling coalition, another opposition politician and a prominent journalist.
The journalist, Inga Grigolia, said the threat “will not silence” her.
I will do everything to send those who have filmed these videos and who have (released) them to jail for many years,.
Access to YouTube was briefly blocked for users in Georgia yesterday.
The tiny ex-Soviet nation has a history of covertly filmed videos being released to tar political opponents ahead of elections and leaders pledged to investigate the latest incident.
President Giorgi Margvelashvili said the “entire government system, with all its resources, is mobilised…. and the crime will soon be solved.”
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili condemned the sex video as a “blow to the state” and “blackmail of the entire society.” Referring to the first tape, he said:
I promise you– no matter who filmed and distributed this recording – you will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Allegations against authorities
But the leader of the Free Democrats, Irakli Alasania, accused “certain circles of the current government” of being behind the “attack on politicians.”
“Only the authorities could have access to such materials,” he claimed.
The scandal has erupted ahead of October parliamentary polls.
“This is a direct and terrible blow to the fair electoral environment, rule of law and human rights in this country,” The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, an influential rights group, said in a statement.
The release of secretly filmed videos of prison guards torturing inmates resulted in the election defeat of then-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement party (UNM) in 2012 parliamentary polls by the Georgian Dream coalition led by billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili.
In 2013, then deputy interior minister Gela Khvedelidze was charged with leaking an opposition journalist’s secretly shot same-sex video. He was given a one-year suspended sentence.
The tape was part of 144 files of secret video recordings of citizens’ private lives, which Georgia’s Interior Ministry claimed were obtained through illegal surveillance by the previous government.
The ministry said the files were destroyed.
The United National Movement said that the “use of dirty methods in politics … had become the main weapon against opponents under the government of (former prime minister) Bidzina Ivanishvili” and his Georgian Dream ruling coalition.
Ivanishvili resigned in 2013, although he is widely believed to continue to wield influence over Georgia’s politics.
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Did you know that if you stand on the Great Wall of China you can actually see the moon.
Not if he’s in Korea.
Brilliant …. love this sort of story. Will I be able to see it in Newbridge? If so I’ll be out with my jacket and a scarf (bloody well cold up here compared to Cork) and a cuppa to have a look
Wondering the same thing myself Eileen!
Download the iss app to your phone Eileen -I am also in newbridge and its a brilliant app -alarm goes off to let you know when its due to pass -I’ll be out tonight looking up at it -crutches and all
Naas is on the line
The moon being upside down is surely a bigger story!
Vews (and photos) through a telesope are upside down. Same with view through one’s eyes but the brain turns them up “the right way”. Someone just forgot to flip the photo.
There was an experiment years ago where people were given spectacles which showed everything upsidedown. It took a couple of days but eventually their brain adjusted so they could see normally! They had a few more unpleasant days when they stopped using the glasses.
Clear sky over Dublin tonight, is the moving station visable with the human eye?
It’s easily visible with the human eye. To ne honest it looks like a very large shooting star in my opinion. I have used a basic pair of binoculars and made out good detail.
It is extremely bright in the night sky, moving at a fairly fast pace. You can’t miss it.
That is no moon!
I wll tell the kids it’s the Emporers Shuttle arriving :-)
Lol, he’s just here for a look around… We’ll send him packing, probably would like it much like the airwaves adds.
Oh so that’s the moon! Thanks Journal!
Pass the beer nuts please
Do you live in the west? Cloud cover?
That’s my thursday evening sorted so :)
Grand, my boss lives in the moon. I will tell her to have her coins ready so she doesn’t miss this one…
Astronomy Ireland have a page showing where this will be visible here
I’m delighted that the picture above is captioned.
Just saw it passing by. That was very cool! Thanks for the tip off. It was moving a lot faster and much brighter than I thought!
bet ya €5 the clouds come out to watch as well always the same frigging irish weather
I’m so excited!
Will a person not on the line see the station at all ? I remember when the shuttle flew over after launch and most people could see it. What’s different here ?
Thanks Ciara
Clouds in Dublin as per usual. Caught a glimpse but nowhere near the moon.
Stupid cloud about to obscure the moon at 20.48 grrrrr
Got some pics and a video so a very happy camper here.
Cool. Anyone interested space x are the new movers in space exploration and they have some cool ideas if you like these type of things.
Just spent past hour and a bit looking to the sky’s on lovely clear night and didn’t see a thing:( glad didn’t spend good money on that ha
have your say