20 December 2003, 16:20
Georgian authorities deny visa to Radio Liberty correspondent Andrey Babitsky
Georgian authorities deny a visa to the Radio Liberty correspondent Andrey Babitsky. As the journalist himself reported, he applied to the Georgian Consulate in Vienna on behalf of the radio station last Friday, December 19, asking to grant him a visa to cover the presidential election in the republic.
Consulate officials assured him the procedure was purely formal and the question would be settled soon. However, when Mr. Babitsky tried to find out how all the necessary procedures were going, consulate officials told him the Georgian Foreign Ministry had no objections to granting him a visa, but "some other agencies did have objections."
The agency in question appears to be the State Security Ministry.
Source: Grani.ru Internet Daily
