The head of the UNM urged the President of Georgia to pardon Nika Gvaramia

Chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) Nika Melia urged Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili to pardon Nika Gvaramia.

Melia called the decision of the Court of Appeal to leave Gvaramia in custody “the fulfillment of the will of the oligarch” and a deliberate obstacle to the implementation of the European integration process.

“Georgia, the Georgian people, their absolute majority, who made a historic choice long ago, received 12 points from Europe. 12 steps that will lead us home to Europe. The Russian Dream, in turn, daily shows steps back. Controls the court and all branches of government, deepens polarization, restricts freedom of speech and thereby strengthens the autocratic and oligarchic regime in Georgia.

[Якобы] this is a court decision, but in fact it is the fulfillment of the will of the oligarch, clearly tells Europe that neither their recommendations nor the will of the absolute majority of Georgians to become members of the European family represent [для властей] no value.

The population is not polarized, on the contrary, it is united in European aspirations, but civil harmony will not come in the conditions of the existence of political prisoners in the same way that European integration will not take place along with the captivity of free media.

If she is not unfounded, she really wants depolarization and the real implementation of the process of civil consent, I urge Salome Zurabishvili to take the only true and fair step and return freedom to Nika Gvaramia,” Melia said.

Decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Nika Gvaramia
The Court of Appeal upheld the decisions of the first instance. Recall that the court of first instance found Nika Gvaramia guilty of abuse of power during the period when he held the post of director of the Rustavi-2 television company. As a final punishment, the court again sentenced him to imprisonment for 3 years and 6 months.

It’s about two episodes. The episode of 2019, in which Gvaramia was charged with causing damage in the amount of 66,271 GEL (in the car case) and sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison.

As well as the episode of 2015, according to which, according to the indictment, the damage amounted to 6,763,509 lari, and as a punishment, the Tbilisi City Court issued a decision on a fine of 50,000 lari. The Court of Appeal instead of a fine also sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison.

On May 16, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Nika Gvaramia, Director General of Mtavari Arkhi TV Company, to 3 years and 6 months in prison for causing damage to Rustavi 2 TV Company. The defense considers this sentence absurd.

His arrest was criticized both domestically and internationally. Among them, deputies of the European Parliament have repeatedly commented on the imprisonment of Gvaramia.

As MEP Michael Galler has said, it is not natural for a country aspiring to join the EU to imprison journalists on charges that are “clearly fabricated”.

Following the announcement of the verdict in the Gvaramia case, Tbilisi City Court Judge Lasha Chkhikvadze was suspended from participating in a planned program organized by the US Embassy.