Protests in Georgia over government threat to independent television company

Hundreds of people gathered yesterday in the Georgian capital Tbilisi to protest the government’s alleged attempts to shut down the country’s most popular television channel, Rustavi 2.

The demonstrators could be seen holding placards reading “Hands off Rustavi 2 TV” and “Rustavi 2 belongs to people” outside the offices of the independent TV station, which accuses the government of trying to stifle media freedom.

Rustavi 2 has been engaged in an ownership dispute since August with businessman Kibara Khalvashi, who sold his majority stake in the station a decade ago. A Georgian court froze the television station’s assets after Mr Khalvashi filed a lawsuit to take back control of the network.

According to Radio Free Europe, Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, stated that the seizure of the station’s assets by the court is causing “significant financial and logistical constraints, effectively limiting its capacity to operate freely”.

The owners of Rustavi 2 and government critics claim that this development forms part of a campaign to silence the press ahead of Georgia’s parliamentary elections next year.

Source: Radio Free Europe