Ex-US Ambassador on guilty verdict against TV head: it’s another step backwards

Former US ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly on Wednesday responded to the decision of the appeals court in the case of Nika Gvaramia, the head of the opposition-minded Mtavari channel, stating that leaving the media figure in custody for abuse of power while running Rustavi 2 TV in 2015 and 2019 was “another step backwards” for Georgian democracy. 

“Most Georgians want a European future. This is another step backwards. There is no sign of progress. The Georgian people deserve much better,” writes Kelly.

Gvaramia has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison.