Rurua sentenced to 4 years of prison

| News, Georgia

On 30 July, the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua was found guilty for the illegal possession and carrying of firearms. He was sentenced to four years in prison by Tbilisi City Court, reported agenda.ge. 

Rurua stated that he is a political prisoner following the conviction. His lawyer told the media that he was expecting “an unfair verdict,” adding that he will appeal the court’s decision

Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia responded to the verdict, stating that if someone commits a crime, he must be held accountable. It does not matter whether he owns a television or the opposition views him as a political prisoner. He added that the Georgian justice system ‘is transparent’ and the government never interferes in the court’s issues. 

Twenty Georgian opposition parties released a joint statement saying that Rurua’s conviction had political grounds. “The 8 March agreement would have seen the release of Rurua and said that detentions on political grounds are unacceptable. Rurua’s conviction is the political decision of Bidzina Ivanishvili (the head and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party) and shows the… judiciary’s [obedience] to the ruling party,” read the statement. The opposition parties also said that Rurua’s release would decrease the threats of tension during the ‘complicated election campaign’ for the state. 

Rurua’s conviction also raised concerns in the international community. “I remain concerned about the sentencing of Giorgi Rurua on spurious charges in Georgia- a legal system should never be used to fulfil political aims. President Zourabichvili should pardon Rurua in the interest of depolarizing the political climate as elections near,” tweeted the chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations committee James Risch. A similar tweet was also posted by the EU parliamentarian Anna Fotyga. 

See Also

"Caucasus Watch" seeks local specialists from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus region. We offer a flexible format of cooperation, competitive remuneration and access to a European readership. Send CV, cover letter and writing sample to redaktion@caucasuswatch.de. Questions: i.dostalik@caucasuswatch.de

Our website uses cookies. By clicking on "I accept cookies", you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of our Cookie Policy. If you want to disable cookies follow the instructions in our Cookie Policy so that cookies from this website cannot be placed on your device.