Ruling party head says if president pardons Gvaramia, she will insult her institute

The head of the ruling party Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday reminded president Salome Zourabichvili how the currently imprisoned head of Mtavari channel “insulted” her in his previous comments and stated that if Zourabichvili pardoned the media figure, she would “insult” the presidential institute by the move. 

The opposition parties called on the president on Wednesday to pardon Gvaramia, who was left in custody by the Tbilisi court of appeals earlier the same day for abuse of power while running Rustavi 2 TV. 

The opposition cited Gvaramia as a “political prisoner” and claimed that his imprisonment could create obstacles for the country’s EU membership candidate status.