The US Embassy to Georgia on Wednesday said that the “continued imprisonment” of Nika Gvaramia, the Director General of the “main opposition TV channel”, put at risk “the clear choice of the people of Georgia – and Georgian leaders’ stated goal – for a more secure, democratic European future”.
The Embassy’s comment comes on the heels of the ruling of Tbilisi court of appeals, which earlier on Wednesday upheld the previous verdict of Tbilisi city court and left the former United National Movement official in custody for abuse of power for his managerial decisions while running the Rustavi 2 channel in 2015 and 2019. The embassy reiterated its “deep concern” regarding the judgment and noted that “numerous” international and Georgian human rights defenders had raised “significant questions” about this case from the start, including about the “timing and charges, as well as the conviction and sentence”.
“Even the perception of selective investigations, prosecutions, and convictions diminishes the public’s confidence in law enforcement, the prosecution, the courts, and the government itself. The United States will continue to support media freedom and the judicial reforms that are necessary to build the stable, prosperous democracy the people of Georgia have clearly said they desire”, said the Embassy.
The opposition called on the president to pardon the media figure, citing him as a “political prisoner”, while the ruling party strongly dismissed the opposition’s claims.
