ECtHR agrees to return "Rustavi-2" to Kibar Khalvashi

Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has recognized as legitimate the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) of Georgia to transfer the assets of the "Rustavi-2" TV Channel to Kibar Khalvashi, the former owner of the TV Company. The businessman himself promised not to interfere in the editorial policy of the TV Channel, but threatened to dismiss Nika Gvaramiya from the position of general director.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in August 2015, businessman Kibar Khalvashi, the former owner of the "Rustavi-2" TV Channel, went to court with the demand to transfer to him the assets of the "Rustavi-2" TV Channel. On March 2, 2017, the Supreme Court of Georgia granted the claim of Kibar Khalvashi, but the TV Company filed an appeal against the Court's decision to the ECtHR.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights has pronounced the decision in the case on the "Rustavi-2" TV Channel.

The ECtHR has found no violations of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case on the TV Company and recognized the position of the judges of the Tbilisi City Court, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Georgia as independent and unbiased, the "News-Georgia" reports.

Kibar Khalvashi assured that he does not plan to interfere in the editorial policy of the TV Channel.

Meanwhile, according to Kibar Khalvashi, Nika Gvaramiya will not be able to continue working at the TV Company "neither in the status of a journalist, nor, of course, in the status of the general director." "Instead, the TV Company will be led by lawyer Paata Saliya," announced Kibar Khalvashi as quoted by the "Sputnik Georgia".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 18, 2019 at 01:44 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.