"We perceive accusation of Nika Gvaramia as blatant political persecution, which has nothing to do with law and justice," former owners of the Rustavi 2 broadcasting company said in a statement.
The statement says that Rustavi 2"s success was linked to Nika Gvaramia. Former owners of the broadcaster point out that the serious financial loss was caused by the seizure and Ivanishvili"s aggressive policy, but Nika Gvaramia managed to create conditions for full-fledged broadcasting.
“We, as the majority shareholders of Rustavi 2, declare that Rustavi 2"s success over the years has been linked to Nika Gvaramia. As a result of the activities of Nika Gvaramia, the company"s capacities increased, the broadcasting network became diverse. Rustavi 2 has become a large-scale broadcaster employing about a thousand people. The only thing that has hurt the company is Ivanishvili"s aggressive policy and the regime"s illegal court rulings, including seizures and associated restrictions. This resulted in a serious financial loss. As a result, the TV company was operating under abnormal conditions. In this situation, Nika Gvaramia has managed to create conditions for full-fledged broadcasting. Rustavi 2 has been a symbol of free speech and critical thinking in Georgia for years. That is why Ivanishvili and his entourage have never hidden the unacceptability of our company and our CEO. Therefore, we perceive accusations against Nika Gvaramia as outright political persecution which has nothing to do with law and justice, ”- the former owners said in a statement.