The News in Brief
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Prepared by The Messenger Staff
MEPs on Gvaramia’s Arrest: Selective Justice Threatens the Country's European Choice
MEPs have issued a joint statement regarding the arrest of Nika Gvaramia, Director General of the Main Channel, noting that this is a continuation of the deterioration of the rule of law in Georgia.
The statement issued by 8 MEPs stated that selective justice is irreparably damaging to Georgia's reputation and threatening its European choice to join the EU.
“The Georgian court's guilty verdict without convincing evidence against the CEO of the TV station, Nika Gvaramia, and his two associates, continues to undermine the rule of law in Georgia.
Unfortunately, the dubious court ruling echoes the widespread pattern of harassment, intimidation, and physical assault on critical media representatives.
Many of us have already spoken about Mr. Gvaramia's repeated attacks, including when a senior Georgian government official released Gvaramia's personal data from the rostrum of Parliament. Then our justified concern was met by representatives of the ruling party with arguments of ‘redirection’.
The unsubstantiated decision of the Georgian court is the result of a long overdue judicial reform, which Georgia undertook under the April 19 agreement, but has never fulfilled.
Selective justice and further deterioration of democratic institutions are irreparably damaging to Georgia's reputation and threatening its European choice to become a candidate and eventually a member of the European Union.
“This is completely contrary to what the Georgian people want and what they deserve,” the statement said.
The statement was signed by Andrew Kubilius, Anna Fotiga, Marchetta Gregorova, Michael Gallery, Petra Austrevichius, Rafael Glucksmann, Sven Mixer and Viola von Cramon.
On May 16, the Tbilisi City Court found Nika Gvaramia, General Director of the Main Channel, guilty and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison.
The prosecutor's office accused Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the main channel, of embezzling a large amount of property belonging to the TV station, commercial bribery, making and using a forged official document, as well as legalizing illegal income, while he was still the director of Rustavi 2.
MEPs on Gvaramia’s Arrest: Selective Justice Threatens the Country's European Choice
MEPs have issued a joint statement regarding the arrest of Nika Gvaramia, Director General of the Main Channel, noting that this is a continuation of the deterioration of the rule of law in Georgia.
The statement issued by 8 MEPs stated that selective justice is irreparably damaging to Georgia's reputation and threatening its European choice to join the EU.
“The Georgian court's guilty verdict without convincing evidence against the CEO of the TV station, Nika Gvaramia, and his two associates, continues to undermine the rule of law in Georgia.
Unfortunately, the dubious court ruling echoes the widespread pattern of harassment, intimidation, and physical assault on critical media representatives.
Many of us have already spoken about Mr. Gvaramia's repeated attacks, including when a senior Georgian government official released Gvaramia's personal data from the rostrum of Parliament. Then our justified concern was met by representatives of the ruling party with arguments of ‘redirection’.
The unsubstantiated decision of the Georgian court is the result of a long overdue judicial reform, which Georgia undertook under the April 19 agreement, but has never fulfilled.
Selective justice and further deterioration of democratic institutions are irreparably damaging to Georgia's reputation and threatening its European choice to become a candidate and eventually a member of the European Union.
“This is completely contrary to what the Georgian people want and what they deserve,” the statement said.
The statement was signed by Andrew Kubilius, Anna Fotiga, Marchetta Gregorova, Michael Gallery, Petra Austrevichius, Rafael Glucksmann, Sven Mixer and Viola von Cramon.
On May 16, the Tbilisi City Court found Nika Gvaramia, General Director of the Main Channel, guilty and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison.
The prosecutor's office accused Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the main channel, of embezzling a large amount of property belonging to the TV station, commercial bribery, making and using a forged official document, as well as legalizing illegal income, while he was still the director of Rustavi 2.