European People’s Party concerned opposition TV channel co-founder Rurua remains imprisoned
President of the European People’s Party Donald Tusk urged the Georgian Dream government to ‘fully abide by the March 8 election agreement.’ Photo: EPA.
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The European People’s Party (EPP) is concerned that the co-founder of Georgian opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua remains in prison, the president of the party and former head of the European Council Donald Tusk said.
EPP welcomed the March 8 Agreement between Georgia’s Government and opposition as a key step to reduce tensions. We remain concerned that Giorgi Rurua is still in prison. We call for full implementation of the Agreement and Rurua’s release.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtuskEPP) June 17, 2020
EPP is partnered with the Georgian United National Movement opposition party.
Earlier this month a Georgian court once again refused bail for Rurua, who was charged with the illegal possession of firearms.
The opposition says that Rurua’s imprisonment is a threat to the ruling party and the opposition March 8 election agreement mediated by the diplomatic corps.
The opposition claims that the ruling party ‘accepted the release’ of Rurua, together with opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili in the March 8 agreement. However, the ruling party denies this.
- Georgian President pardons opposition politicians Ugulava, Okruashvili to avoid 'endangering election agreement
- PM Gakharia: it’s unacceptable for me that so-called politicians who committed crimes were pardoned
The opposition says that if Rurua remains in prison, they will not vote for the constitutional changes for the 2020 parliamentary elections per the March 8 agreement.
They say that Rurua ‘is being deliberately discredited,’ referring to the accusations of Tamar Toradze, a woman of Georgian origin with US citizenship, who says that Rurua killed seven of her family members back in the 1990s.
The ruling party says that the government never interferes in the issues of the judiciary.
Tbilisi City Court has once again refused bail for the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua, who has been charged with the illegal possession of firearms.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has responded to the recent pardon of opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili and stated that it is unacceptable for him that ‘so-called politicians, who committed serious crimes, were pardoned only because they are in politics.’ “It is unacceptable for me that the person who was trying to break into the parliament building on June 20 (referring to Irakli Okruashvili) and the person who stole 50 million GEL from the state budget (referring to Gigi Ugulava) were pardoned only because they are politicians, so-called politicians,” Gakharia said.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has responded to a MEP from Poland Anna Fotyga that opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili were not ‘political prisoners.’ On May 15 President Salome Zurabishvili pardoned Ugulava and Okruashvili as she said to ‘discharge the situation.’
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 Georgian parliament will discuss a bill regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn on Sunday, June 21, in its first reading.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakaharia has responded to the President of the European People's Party (EPP) and former head of the European Council Donald Tusk, who urged the Georgian Dream government to ‘fully abide by the March 8 election agreement’ and release co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua.
Foreign ambassadors have urged all parties of the March election agreement to ‘fully abide by the terms’ as Georgian parliament will vote on the election bill drafted per the agreement, in its first reading, on Sunday.
The co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua is not mentioned in the 8 March agreement, says German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch expressing surprise that this is a subject of discussion between the political parties.
Georgian Media Production Group, which holds local TV channels Imedi, GDS and Radio Imedi is for sale. The Communications Commission of Georgia has already discussed the issue at today's meeting and gave its consent on the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Georgian Media Production Group.
Hunnewell Partners, an asset management and recovery firm, will purchase the local TV channel Imedi after the Communications Commission of Georgia gave its consent on the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Georgian Media Production Group, which holds local TV channels Imedi, GDS and Radio Imedi.