Gvaramia Dismissed - Rustavi 2 Has New Director-General

Nika Gvaramia has been dismissed from the post of Director-General of TV Company Rustavi 2. The TV Channel now has new head - Paata Salia, the lawyer of the current owner of Rustavi 2 - businessman  Kibar Khalvashi. 

Today, the Public Registry registered Paata Salia as the new director of Rustavi 2, based on the demand of Kibar Khalvashi, while Khalvashi himself was officially registered as the new owner of the Company.

Earlier today, Khalvashi stated that his lawyer Paata Salia would be the new head of the TV Company instead of Gvaramia. 

According to Kibar Khalvashi, he does not intend to change the TV channel’s editorial policy.

“I’m not going to change the editorial policy of Rustavi 2. The changes will only apply to one person – Nika Gvaramia, who was appointed on this post by the regime which took away my company from me (ex-government). Gvaramia will no longer be able to continue his activities at Rustavi 2 neither as a journalist nor as a Director-General. My lawyer Paata Salia will head the Company instead of him”, Khalvashi said.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights delivered a verdict in the ownership case of one of Georgia’s largest TV channels, Rustavi 2.

According to the Court’s judgment, there were no violations of any Article of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of Rustavi 2. Additionally, the rights of Rustavi 2 and its owners were not violated in the Georgian courts. Rustavi 2 can appeal the case in the Grand Chamber of Strasbourg.

The Strasbourg Court suspended a temporary measure whereby the mechanism of suspending the judgment of the Supreme Court of Georgia will no longer exist. Accordingly, the TV company was re-registered to shareholder Kibar Khalvashi, as it was decided by the courts of three instances in Georgia. 

Related Story: Kibar Khalvashi Officially Registers as Rustavi 2 Owner

By Ana Dumbadze