With the arrest of Nika Gvaramia, General Director of the TV channel “Mtavari”, the Georgian government is trying to suppress critical media, which will ultimately hamper Georgia's development towards democracy and European integration.

“Internews Georgia” believes that Judge Lasha Chkhikvadze complied with the government's political order in a verdict against Nika Gvaramia after a lengthy hearing.

According to the organization the current government of Georgia has used the judicial system as a tool to destroy not only Nika Gvaramia and the TV Channel “Mtavari”, but more generally, independent media.