On November 7, a coalition of more than 30 media and civil society groups sent a letter to Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, asking him to call for Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to release jailed Mtavari Arkhi TV Head Nika Gvaramia.
In their letter, the group highlighted their strong view that this is a politically driven prosecution and that the accusations against Gvaramia are baseless, citing earlier analyses of the case by the Public Defender's Office and various CSOs. They emphasized that they think Nika Gvaramia is only in prison because of his loud opposition to the administration and his power as an opinion-maker. "It is also a reality that the government is constantly pressuring and attacking Mtavari and other TV firms," the statement added. According to the groups, Gvaramia's detention is a severe hurdle on Georgia's EU integration route. They said, "The European Parliament's resolution on Georgia's abuses of press freedom and the safety of journalists strongly denounced Nika Gvaramia's detention and urged for real reforms."
The organizations emphasized that they do not expect Gvaramia's rights to be defended in the Supreme Court of Georgia and noted the context of grave challenges in the judiciary and the Georgian Dream's aggressive policy against critical media. They also said that they believe a presidential pardon is the only remedy to end his unjust imprisonment. They stated that several political and public organizations have already written to the President of Georgia requesting her pardon of Nika Gvaramia.
"You are a passionate supporter of Georgia's democratic growth, and we genuinely hope that your call to President Zourabichvili might persuade her to take this action, pardon the director of a critical broadcaster and a political prisoner," they said to President Michel. The group added, "President Michel, we are certain that your involvement will be a great contribution to media freedom in Georgia; furthermore, it will empower Georgian people in their unmistakable ambitions towards Europe."
Importantly, Nika Gvaramia was found guilty by the Tbilisi Court of Appeal. As a result, the three years and six months of incarceration that the Tbilisi City Court had imposed on him were still in effect.
Earlier, Caucasus Watch reported that in a letter to President Salome Zourabichvili dated November 7th, 12 members of the European Parliament pleaded with her to use her authority to commute the sentence of Mtavari Arkhi TV Chief Nika Gvaramia. While acknowledging that Georgia's journey to European integration has not been easy, the MEPs underscored that it is firmly supported by the great majority of the Georgian people. They emphasized that the historic opportunity for Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia was granted due to the immense sacrifices that Ukraine is making to defend the values on which also EU is built, against the Russian war of aggression, while pointing out that Georgia's path to EU candidate status has opened recently with its European perspective.
