Imprisoned TV channel head case a “matter for court, not Gov’t - PM
Irakli Garibashvili, the Georgian Prime Minister, on Wednesday commented on Nika Gvaramia’s case. Photo: Government press office
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Irakli Garibashvili, the Georgian Prime Minister, on Wednesday said the case involving Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi channel who was convicted last year for improper commercial deals in 2015 and 2019 during his time at the helm of Rustavi 2 channel, was a matter of domestic courts and not the Government.
The comment, made on the sidelines of the Georgia Cybersecurity Forum in Tbilisi, came after the channel on Tuesday said the country’s Supreme Court had declared a lawsuit by Gvaramia’s legal team inadmissible.
In response, the United States Embassy in Georgia on Tuesday expressed its “deep concerns” about the continued imprisonment of Gvaramia, adding it had raised “questions and concerns” over the case since its beginning, including around the “timing and nature” of the charges against the media figure, as well as the sentence.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals in November upheld the verdict of Tbilisi City Court and sentenced Gvaramia to three years and six months in prison.
The ruling followed the May 2022 verdict by the latter Court, which sentenced the channel head for two separate episodes in the case, one of which had caused “serious losses” to Rustavi 2 through disadvantageous commercial deals, and the other was related to obtaining property through a corrupt deal.
In comments on the domestic media environment, Garibashvili said anyone questioning media pluralism in Georgia had “no understanding” of the media environment in the country.
He stressed there had been “practically no normal, strong, independent opposition channels” before the current Government took office in 2012, contrasting the situation with “many [such] channels” in existence currently.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the statement by United States embassy lamenting court decision keeping Mtavari Arkhi TV director in imprisonment meant the diplomatic office had “admitted for the first time” the channel was a “party media” for the opposition.
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.
Tbilisi court of appeals of Wednesday upheld the verdict of Tbilisi city court against the head of the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel Nika Gvaramia, keeping him in custody for charges of abuse of power in 2015 and 2019, during his time at the helm of Rustavi 2 channel.
Nino Lomjaria, the Public Defender of Georgia, has addressed President Salome Zourabichvili with a request to exercise her power to pardon Nika Gvaramia, the Director General of Mtavari Arkhi TV channel who was sentenced to over three years in prison for abuse of powers last month.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said his Government would not allow violence “against any of our citizens, including minorities”, but added “we will also not allow propaganda and violence against a majority”.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Thursday pardoned Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi channel, who was convicted last year for improper commercial deals in 2015 and 2019 during his time at the helm of the Rustavi 2 channel.
Rati Bregadze, the Georgian Justice Minister, on Friday said he saw “no connections” between the pardoning of Nika Gvaramia, the head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, by President Salome Zourabichvili and the country’s efforts to meet the 12 priorities outlined by the European Union last year for granting Georgia its membership candidate status.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said pardoning of Nika Gvaramia, the head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, by President Salome Zourabichvili was a “step taken against” the country’s efforts to fulfil the 12 priorities outlined by the European Union last year for granting Georgia its membership candidate status, including the depolarisation of the political environment in the country.
Rati Ionatamishvili, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday responded to the announcement of Nika Gvaramia, the former Director of the Mtavari TV channel, of his entry into the domestic political scene by saying the former United National Movement official had “never left politics and the party”.