US “concerned” about continued imprisonment of TV figure Gvaramia, PM says case “matter for courts”

The United States embassy in Georgia on Tuesday expressed its “deep concerns” about the continued imprisonment of Nika Gvaramia, the head of the opposition-minded Mtavari channel, following the Supreme Court’s decision earlier that day to declare his lawsuit inadmissible. 

 

The embassy said it had raised “questions and concerns” over the case since its inception, including the timing and nature of the charges, as well as the sentence, following Gvaramia’s conviction last year for abuse of power while ruling Rustavi 2 TV channel in 2015 and 2019, and sentencing him to prison for three years and six months. 

 

The embassy highlighted “numerous” international and Georgian human rights defenders had echoed the same concerns, adding a functioning democracy depended on protecting media freedom and prohibiting political prosecution.

 

“Even the perception of selective or politically motivated justice puts Georgia’s European future at risk, and undermines the rule of law, constitutional protected human rights, and democracy itself”, the embassy said. 

 

In his comments on Wednesday, prime minister Irakli Garibashvili claimed the case was the matter for domestic courts and not for his government, adding those who questioned media pluralism in the country had “no understanding” of the domestic media environment. 

 

He added when the Georgian Dream government took office in 2012, there were “no normal or strong” opposition channels in the country, while currently there were several of such media.