The spokesman for the European External Action Service stressed on Wednesday 2 November that while the EU does not comment on the merits of individual court cases, it once again notes that questions have been raised, including by the Public Defender, in the Gvaramia case.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday 2 November that the charges against Nika Gvaramia, the Director General of the main opposition television station, should be upheld, including a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for abuse of power.
“Stronger efforts to guarantee a free, professional, pluralistic and independent media environment, notably by ensuring that criminal procedures brought against media owners fulfil the highest legal standards represents one of the priorities identified by the European Commission” for the country to achieve EU candidate status, the spokesman said in a statement (see EUROPE 12978/1).
He pledged that the EU would continue to assist the Georgian authorities in reforming the judiciary, focusing on the independence, transparency and quality of judicial proceedings, which are “indispensable for upholding the Rule of law”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)