European Court upholds verdicts of Georgian courts on Rustavi 2 ownership case, says TV belongs to former owner

Nino Nizharadze, a nine per cent shareholder of the opposition-minded Rustavi 2 channel, has addressed the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office to launch an investigation against the channel director, former Minister of Justice Nika Gvaramia.

Founders of one of Georgia’s leading private broadcasters, Rustavi 2, David Dvali and Jarji Akimidze, who founded the channel with now deceased politician Erosi Kitsmarishvili in 1994, have asked for the continuation of the investigation around the ‘illegal seizure of the channel from lawful owners’ in 2004, under the United National Movement leadership.

Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani has dismissed the allegations of Rustavi 2 private broadcaster director Nika Gvaramia regarding the government’s interest in shutting down the opposition-leaning channel and stated that no decision might be enforced by state agencies concerning the channel Rustavi 2 until the European Court of Human Rights delivers a verdict in the broadcaster’s ownership issue.

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has called on the public to refrain from incendiary actions with respect to the Rustavi 2 case verdict and to await for the decision of the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

Former owner of Rustavi 2 Kibar Khalvashi has stated that the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights on Rustavi 2 has dispelled all doubts regarding the channel’s ownership, confirming that the ‘only lawful owner of the TV is me.’ He said that he has no plans to get involved in the editorial policy of the channel,

Paata Salia, who replaced Nika Gvaramia as the director general of Rustav 2, went to the TV company and spoke with the team late on July 18 to set further goals. Salia told the journalists that he does not intend to interfere in the editorial policy and the team may continue working as they did before the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said the recent verdict of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the Rustavi 2 private broadcaster’s ownership dispute was “unprecedented”. President Zurabishvili believes that with this verdict the ECHR has recognised impartiality of the Georgian court and fairness of its decisions.

The Georgian Public Registry Agency has registered the shares of Rustavi 2 in the name of its former owner Kibar Khalvashi after today’s verdict of the European Court of Human Rights. Khalvashi’s lawyer addressed the agency to introduce changes in the Rustavi 2 registration document as the ECHR upheld the verdicts of the Georgians courts and allowed the return of 100 percent of shares of the channel to Khalvashi.

Paata Salia, the new director general of Rustavi 2, says the channel has certain financial problems. After meeting with the staff of Rustavi 2, Salia said the channel’s financial situation was ‘worse than expected.’He said it is important to find ways to “solve the financial problems”. 

The new owner of Rustavi 2 Kibar Khalvashi, who was given 100 per cent of the company’s shares on July 18, has met with founders of the channel David Dvali and Jarji Akimidze earlier today and offered them 40 per cent of the shares of the channel. Both Khalvashi and the founders say that the channel was illegally seized from them at different times under the United National Movement leadership.

Dismissed Director General of Georgian private broadcaster Rustavi 2, Nika Gvaramia has been questioned at Tbilisi City Court today.  The questioning lasted more than two hours. Nika Gvaramia said the questions mainly referred to the advertising contracts [he concluded]. 

Georgian TV channel Rustavi 2 did not broadcast a newscast today during its 12:00 programme, and instead ran a film. Radio Liberty reports that Rustavi 2 journalists did not agree to host the newscast after the channel Director General Paata Salia unexpectedly dismissed head of information service Nodar Meladze, producer Giorgi Laperashvili and TV anchors Eka Kvesitadze, Giorgi Gabunia and Nanuka Zhorzholiani on August 20.

The potential new Rustavi 2 CEO, Irakli Imnaishvili, says he wants to conclude contracts with TV channel employees to ensure editorial independence. This would be a first in Georgia’s media history – we would like to create a precedent of a well-planned editorial contract,”  he said. Irakli Imnaishvili said 800 employees remain at Rustavi 2.

A new opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi, which was established by Nika Gvaramia, the formed Director General of Rustavi 2 TV company, has new shareholders.

Ex-Director General of Rustavi 2 TV channel, Georgia’s former  minister of justice  and education, Nika Gvaramia will face additional charges regarding the funds of the TV channel he used to head. 

Giorgi Rurua, the founder and shareholder of Mtavari Arkhi TV, has been detained for illegal possession and carrying of a firearm, the press office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said.

The Human Rights Watch has released its World Report 2020, reflecting the developments in the world in 2019, including in Georgia. The report reads that political tensions and sustained protests over electoral reforms marked 2019 in Georgia, drawing particular attention to labour rights, current drug policy, the rights of sexual minorities and the ‘lack of accountability for law enforcement abuses’. 

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Georgia must pay €3,000 to man imprisoned for drug possession. The case concerns ‘the alleged unfairness of the criminal proceedings’ conducted against the applicant in 2007 ‘on account of the manner in which the principal evidence was obtained and used against him’.

Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday urged the United States Department of State to lift the visa restrictions it imposed on three acting and one former Georgian judges for “significant corruption” in April “as soon as possible”, due to an “absence of evidence” against them.