Three Georgian photojournalists were accused on Saturday of passing secret information regarding the movements of President Mikheil Saakashvili to Russian intelligence and were charged with espionage, Reuters. The three -- Saakashvili's personal photographer Irakli Gedenidze, freelancer Giorgi Abdaladze and Zurab Kurtsikidze of the European Pressphoto Agency -- were charged in the early hours of Saturday, their lawyers said. They were remanded in custody for two months pending trial. A fourth, Gedenidze's photographer wife Natia, was released but declined to talk to reporters. Georgia has vigorously defended the arrests, denying they were politically motivated or an attack on press freedom.
