Georgia’s opposition-leaning Mtavari Arkhi to halt broadcasting amid internal dispute

Georgian opposition-leaning television station Mtavari Arkhi will suspend its broadcasts from 1 May, following a deepening internal crisis and allegations of political interference.

The announcement was made in a message from General Director Giorgi Gabunia to the channel’s staff on Monday. In it, Gabunia cited a severe financial collapse, which he claimed was deliberately engineered by individuals linked to the channel’s co-founder, Zaza Okuashvili.

Gabunia has accused Gogi (Giorgi) Kurdadze, Okuashvili’s appointed representative at the channel, of obstructing essential financial operations. This reportedly led to service disruptions, including the suspension of Mtavari Arkhi’s satellite broadcasting, and left the station unable to pay for technical services critical for live reporting.

Mtavari Arkhi’s management alleged that the actions of Okuashvili and Kurdadze had weakened the channel’s ability to operate, suggesting a political motive aligned with the ruling Georgian Dream party. They argued the move represented an effort to silence independent media voices critical of the government.

In response, Okuashvili rejected the accusations, describing them as baseless. He has insisted that financial mismanagement by Gabunia and former director Nika Gvaramia, rather than external interference, brought the channel to the brink of collapse. Okuashvili also denied any cooperation with Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Founded in 2019 by journalists who split from Rustavi 2 after its ownership changed hands, Mtavari Arkhi rapidly established itself as one of the country’s main critical media outlets.