NGOs call on European Council head to encourage Georgian president pardon media figure Gvaramia

A group of domestic non-governmental and media organizations on Monday addressed the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and asked him to call on Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to pardon Nika Gvaramia, a  founder of the opposition-minded Mtavari channel, who has been recently convicted for abuse of power while running the Rustavi 2 TV channel. 

The signatories claimed that the case of Gvaramia, the former United National Movement official, “is politically motivated”, and accusations presented against him “are groundless”. The authors of the statement also referred to the opinions submitted to the court by the Public Defender of Georgia and non-governmental organizations:

“We think that Gvaramia is a prisoner today only because he is a vocal critic of the government and has a great influence on the formation of public opinion. The TV company Mtavari Arkhi had founded by him, along with other TV companies, is a constant object of attack and harassment from the government.

“We think that arresting Gvaramia for political reasons is a huge obstacle on the path of Georgia’s European integration. The resolution adopted by the European Parliament on the freedom of the media and the safety of journalists in Georgia [in June] also unequivocally condemns the fact of his arrest and calls on the Georgian authorities to carry out real reforms,” ​​the letter says”, said the letter. 

They stressed that against the background of “severe challenges in the Georgian judicial system” and the “aggressive policy” of the ruling force  towards critical media, they do not expect that Gvaramia’s rights would be protected in the Supreme Court:

“The only way to prevent his unjust imprisonment is the pardon of Gvaramia by the president. Several public and political groups have already addressed this request to the President of Georgia.

“We think that your appeal, as a loyal supporter of the democratic development of Georgia, may encourage the president to take a humane and important step for the country, pardon the director of the critical media and release the political prisoner”, said the letter. 

The court of appeals upheld the verdict of Tbilisi City Court earlier this month and left Gvaramia in prison for three years and six months.