Journalists rally at parliament, protesting arrest of Mtavari channel head Gvaramia

Georgian journalists and media representatives held a rally in front of the country’s state legislature on Friday, protesting the recent imprisonment of the head of the opposition-minded Mtavari channel, former United National Movement official, Nika Gvaramia. 

The demonstrators met Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili with banners as the latter  arrived in parliament to answer the lawmakers’ questions within the regular parliamentary procedure. 

Garibashvili heard the shouts of the journalists but did not stop to talk with them. 

The media representatives hung the banner “Freedom Nika” in the Parliament Hall.

Gvaramia was sentenced to three years and six months in prison earlier this month for abuse of power while managing Rustavi 2 TV. 

He claims that the charges against him were politically grounded.