Media Advocacy Coalition is highly critical of the recent judgment of the Court of Cassation regarding Nika Gvaramia, as a result of which the director of “Mtavari Arkhi” remains in prison. The ongoing investigation and trial against Nika Gvaramia are clearly politically motivated and making the verdict deeply unjust and without sufficient evidence.
On June 19, the Supreme Court of Georgia rejected the cassation appeals made by Nika Gvaramia’s legal counsel, as well as Kakhaber Damenia and the prosecutor’s office, leaving him behind bars. From the outset, local and international organizations, the Public Defender, and the Media Advocacy Coalition have maintained that Nika Gvaramia’s case is an infringement of basic human rights and a politically motivated attack on free speech. In the current situation, the Media Advocacy Coalition again calls on the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, to take a step to release the General Director of “Mtavari Arkhil”. At a time when an innocent person is being punished for free speech, the president should not stand by. It is time for the President of Georgia to take political responsibility, pardon Nika Gvaramia, and play a positive role in the European integration process.
