A few minutes ago the non-governmental sector release a joint statement regarding o the court decision of November 5 on Rustavi 2 TV . NGOs call on international friends and partners to immediately raise this issue with the Government of Georgia at the earliest possibility and the highest possible level. Pressure on Rustavi 2 needs to stop immediately and it must continue broadcasting in an unhindered way. Rustavi 2 must also have the right to fair trial, which is obviously not the case right now.
"It is now obvious that this decision was made to circumvent the ruling of the Constitutional Court of Georgia, which prevented the immediate enforcement of the Civil Court’s decision of November 3 on changing the ownership of Rustavi 2.

This decision destroys editorial independence of Rustavi 2, fundamentally undermines freedom of media and has an implication of challenging Georgia’s constitutional order and stability as well as media pluralism. Maintaining Rustavi 2 as a critical TV channel is essential for Georgia’s democracy, especially in light of the upcoming Parliamentary elections of 2016," - the statement says.

The authors are: Transparency International - Georgia, International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, The Reform Association, National Democratic Institute, the Media Development Foundation, Economic Policy Research Centre, the Atlantic Council of the Baltic and Black Sea Alliance, Civic Education Foundation and others.