Nika Gvaramia: Government Will Shut Down Before Rustavi 2

Nika Gvaramia, General Director of Rustavi 2, has promised the government will shut down before his company.

“The government delivered a death verdict. Actually, it closed Rustavi 2 TV. We must attract grants now, we work with no pay and we must increase our income. We promise the government that they will be closed prior to us,” Gvaramia stated.

The TV Company has said that if they can raise 6 million lari from investors, then the company could survive financially.

“There will be protests within the framework of freedom of expression. We are different from the government. Their representatives and supports rush into judges homes and humiliate their children. We will not allow anybody to do that. We will act legally,” Gvaramia declared yesterday.

100 percent of Rustavi 2’s properties were sequestrated at the end of August by the request of a former stakeholder in the company, businessman Kibar Khalvashi. Yesterday the court deprived one of the owners of shares in Rustavi 2 “TV Sakartvelo” from selling their shares in order for Rustavi 2 to benefit.

The TV company itself says the case is rife with political motivations and accuses the government of fighting media freedom in the country. There are direct accusations against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Georgian PM, who is believed to be ruling the country from the shadows.