Giorgi Sanaia
Encyclopedia
Giorgi Sanaia, sometimes spelled as Giorgi Sanaya (1975 —2001) was a Georgian
television journalist of the independent broadcasting company Rustavi 2
who was murdered under controversial circumstances in 2001.
He was a very popular television personality as the anchorman of the "Night Courier" news program, and he was known for investigating allegations of official corruption. He was killed at his flat in Tbilisi
on July 26, 2001. The killing of Sanaia was referenced in the documentary Power Trip
, which details the Georgian transition to privatized electricity.
The murder of Giorgi Sanaia was widely believed to be politically motivated and triggered an unprecedented outpouring of public grief and anger. The government demonstrated to the Georgian public that everything was being done to find his killer, and subsequently arrested a certain Giorgi Khurtsilava who was eventually sentenced to 13 years in prison. However, Sanaia’s widow and many Georgians are dissatisfied, as the court neither established a true motive for the murder, nor found answers to a number of key questions.
Giorgi Sanaia was survived by a wife and a son.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
television journalist of the independent broadcasting company Rustavi 2
Rustavi 2
Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company , better known as Rustavi 2, is the most successful private television broadcasting company in Georgia. The Rustavi, based in Tbilisi, was founded in 1994 in the town of Rustavi. It is a privately owned free to air terrestrial broadcaster that currently reaches around...
who was murdered under controversial circumstances in 2001.
He was a very popular television personality as the anchorman of the "Night Courier" news program, and he was known for investigating allegations of official corruption. He was killed at his flat in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
on July 26, 2001. The killing of Sanaia was referenced in the documentary Power Trip
Power Trip (film)
Power Trip is a documentary film by director Paul Devlin that describes the electricity crisis in the country of Georgia shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union....
, which details the Georgian transition to privatized electricity.
The murder of Giorgi Sanaia was widely believed to be politically motivated and triggered an unprecedented outpouring of public grief and anger. The government demonstrated to the Georgian public that everything was being done to find his killer, and subsequently arrested a certain Giorgi Khurtsilava who was eventually sentenced to 13 years in prison. However, Sanaia’s widow and many Georgians are dissatisfied, as the court neither established a true motive for the murder, nor found answers to a number of key questions.
Giorgi Sanaia was survived by a wife and a son.