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Statement of the Media Advocacy Coalition on the case of Nika Gvaramia
On May 16, 2022, the Tbilisi City Court will announce the
verdict with regards
to the criminal case against Nika Gvaramia [1], the former director
of Rustavi 2, now the founder and
General Director of "Mtavari
Arkhi", and his
associates[2].
The Media
Advocacy Coalition responds once again [3] to the developments
surrounding a broadcaster with a
critical editorial policy. We have a legitimate expectation that the court will pay due
attention to the
conclusions drawn with respect to the case of Nika Gvaramia:
Assessing the charges against Nika Gvaramia [4], the Public
Defender clarified
that the decision made by the director of the company can be
regarded as a criminal or a
corporate-legal liability only in special cases, while the charges against Nika Gvaramia do
not contain sufficient evidence.
According to the conclusion of Transparency International
Georgia, a member of
the coalition, [5] Nika Gvaramia's allegations of embezzlement of
property rights, commercial bribery,
production and use of forged official documents, and money laundering are not substantiated.
The lawsuit against Nika Gvaramia has been closely monitored by the local and
international
community
for the third year in a row. It is already clear that as a result
of the court ruling [6] on the
change of ownership of Rustavi 2, the channel's editorial policy has changed in favor of the
government [7], and the legal process
is perceived by the public as led by the ruling party. There are similar legitimate doubts
about Nika Gvaramia's
trial.
The court is obliged to take into account these
circumstances, as well as the public
interest in the activities of the media, and to make a reasoned decision in accordance with a
high standard
of justice,
which will dispel suspicions of possible political pressure on
the court.
[1] Nika
Gvaramia's trial https://bit.ly/3yw1nOK
[2]
Statement of the Prosecutor General of Georgia https://bit.ly/3PlDQpG
[3]
Statement by the Media Advocacy Coalition https://bit.ly/3a0o0Rv
[4] Public
Defender's assessment https://bit.ly/38sfrOF
[5]
Transparency International - Georgia Conclusion https://bit.ly/3l2ZEZh
[6]
Article: Nika Gvaramia is no longer the General Director of Rustavi 2 -
the change
was reflected in the registry https://bit.ly/39lmEQU
[7] Media
Monitoring Report of the Charter of Journalistic Ethics
https://bit.ly/3MeLu3j