Ruling party head references European Parliament’s “politically biased” resolution after court ruling on channel head
The June 9 resolution urged Georgian authorities to “refrain from interfering in media freedom or pursuing politically motivated judicial cases against media owners or representatives”, and noted the case of Gvaramia. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
Tweet 
Share
Irakli Kobakidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the European Parliament resolution on the violations of media freedom and the safety of journalists in Georgia, adopted in June, was “politically biased” and sought a “specific interest”, after the Tbilisi court of appeals upheld a verdict against the head of a TV channel supported by a part of the domestic opposition.
Speaking after the court sentenced Nika Gvaramia, the former head of the Rustavi 2 channel and current director of Mtavari Arkhi TV, to three years and six months in prison for damage caused to the former company in commercial deals, Kobakhidze noted it was “important” that the European Commission and the European Council had not shared the resolution of the European Parliament in the part of political justice.
This resolution is politically biased and seeks a specific interest. Therefore, the resolution is not worth a dime, and each of its entries is not worth a dime. I will repeat once again that the European Commission and the European Council did not share the resolution in this part. This is very important”, the GD official said.
The June 9 resolution urged Georgian authorities to “refrain from interfering in media freedom or pursuing politically motivated judicial cases against media owners or representatives”, and noted the case of Gvaramia.
The document has been cited by a part of the domestic opposition in its criticisms of the country’s authorities, with opposition politicians demanding release of the media figure.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said president Salome Zourabichvili would “insult” her office by pardoning Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, following calls by opposition politicians for the move.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said the resolution on violations of media freedom and the safety of journalists in Georgia, adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday, had been initiated by the European People's Party, and called the United National Movement domestic opposition party the EPP’s “main ally”.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday said the resolution on violations of media freedom and the safety of journalists in Georgia, adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday, “diverges from reality”, “lacks fairness” and “contains distorted facts”.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday criticised the European Parliament resolution on violations of media freedom and the safety of journalists in Georgia by saying the document was “not worth a dime”.
The United States embassy in Tbilisi on Wednesday reiterated its “deep concern” over the judgement of the Tbilisi court of appeals which upheld the verdict of the Tbilisi city court against Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, and kept him in imprisonment for charges of having caused damage through commercial deals to Rustavi 2 channel he led in 2015 and 2019.
Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Wednesday said they were “disappointed” with what they called a “number of wrong interpretations” in the newly approved annual report on the fulfilment of the 2014-signed Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said it was “hard to see” some European politicians “try to pursue their own political interests in Georgia using Russian propaganda methods”.