Rustavi 2

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Protesters let off flares outside parliament demanding the release of Mtavati Arkhi director Nika Gvaramia. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

Freedom of the Press

Protests and Western condemnation follow jailing of Georgian government critic

by Shota Kincha

•4 min read

The jailing of opposition TV head Nika Gvaramia in Georgia has provoked protests and condemnation from abroad. Several thousand people took to the streets of the capital Tbilisi on Wednesday over what they called the politically motivated persecution of Gvaramia, the co-founder and director of opposition TV channel Mtavari Arkhi. The demonstration was organised by local media groups and was joined by opposition politicians and civil society organisations. On Monday, Tbilisi City Court sent

Chechnya

Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov ‘ordered killing’ of Georgian TV host who insulted Putin

by OC Media

•3 min read

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, sent a man to assassinate a Georgian TV host who insulted Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Director of Mtavari Arkhi, Nika Gvaramia, has claimed. In a televised address on Monday evening, Gvaramia said that a man sent to assassinate Giorgi Gabunia and was arrested during a special operation by the State Security Service in Tbilisi’s Saburtalo district on 12 June. He identified the arrested man as a 37-year-old Russian citizen born in Ingushetia na

Finance Minister Ivane Machavariani. Official photo

Freedom of the Press

Georgian Government to seize overdue taxes from TV companies Kavkasia, Pirveli, and Rustavi 2

by OC Media

•3 min read

Georgia’s finance ministry has notified broadcasters Kavkasia, Pirveli, and Rustavi 2 and their banks that they will begin seizing overdue taxes from the TV companies. At least one regional broadcaster has reportedly received the same notice. On 25 December, the Finance Ministry issued an encashment order against the three Tbilisi-based broadcasters. The Revenu Service declined to confirm the order for privacy reasons however Kavkasia, Pirveli, and Rustavi 2 all confirmed the reports.

Davit Dvali

Georgia’s Rustavi 2 TV shares partially frozen after founders file lawsuit

by OC Media

•3 min read

Tbilisi City Court has frozen 60% of the shares of TV station Rustavi 2 after an appeal by the channel’s founders, Davit Dvali and Jarji Akimidze. The two have claimed for years that the government forced them to sell their shares in 2004 and have demanded they be given back ownership. Rustavi 2 is currently owned by Kibar Khalvashi, who previously owned the channel in 2004–2006. Ownership was returned to him following a 2017 ruling by Georgia’s Supreme Court stating that he was forced t

avtandil tsereteli

Father of Georgia’s TV Pirveli owner charged with money laundering

by OC Media

•4 min read

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has charged Avtandil Tsereteli, whose son owns independent TV channel Pirveli, with participating in the group money laundering of almost $17 million. Following the charges on Thursday, Pirveli’s owner, Vakhtang Tsereteli, accused the government of ‘blackmail’. The charges involve a case launched last year against the former board chair of TBC Bank Group, Mamuka Khazaradze, and former deputy chair, Badri Japaridze. The two bankers were charged on 24 July

Bidzina Ivanishvili

Rustavi 2 fires head of news and says more journalists to be let go

by OC Media

•4 min read

Rustavi 2’s head of news, Nodar Meladze, and four prominent journalists at the station will be dismissed, the channel’s newly appointed director Paata Salia said on Tuesday. Since Kibar Khalvashi regained ownership of Rustavi 2 following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), journalists have said they fear the channel’s editorial independence would be compromised, despite Khalvashi’s promises to the contrary. Paata Salia, the new director of the channel, announced the de

Davit Dvali

Kibar Khalvashi to sell Rustavi 2

by OC Media

•4 min read

Khalvashi is selling the indebted opposition television channel less than a month after a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) allowed him to take ownership of the channel. In a statement, published by Rustavi 2 on Monday, Khalvashi said that the company is on the edge of bankruptcy and that he is unable to save it from financial ruin. As a result, he has chosen to auction if off ‘within a week’. He added that he is also ready to negotiate a sale with anyone but ‘Rusta