Georgian Parliament Speaker claims “orchestrated attacks” on domestic judiciary by NGOs, opposition, foreign offices

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday claimed cases of “orchestrated attacks” on the country’s judiciary by the domestic opposition, non-governmental organisations and some foreign actors, including embassies.

Papuashvili made the comments after the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday declined to consider the claim of Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the Georgian-based Mtavari Arkhi channel, against his earlier conviction for improper commercial deals in 2015 and 2019 during his time at the helm of Rustavi 2 TV.

Gvaramia was convicted for causing financial damage to the channel via the deals and sentenced to imprisonment in 2022, before he was pardoned last year by President Salome Zourabichvili and released.

Since 2015, there have been orchestrated attacks on the Georgian justice system with the participation of various embassies - personal involvement of ambassadors and attacks on Georgian judges. Then years pass, and it turns out that the Georgian justice system was right and all those who accused it of political bias or so on turned out to be liars”, Papuashvili said.

“Every time I call on the embassies to come out and explain why they had held the position of attacking Georgian justice, and whether they are going to at least express their remorse, if not apology, over their former position”, he continued.

Gvaramia served as the Deputy Prosecutor General, and also had spells as Justice and Education Minister, under the United National Movement Government between 2007 and 2009. He then led Rustavi 2 TV channel between 2012-2019, before the European Court of Human Rights ruled in July 2019 that 100 percent of the channel’s shares had to be returned to its former owners.

Gvaramia founded the Mtavari Arkhi channel following the 2022 verdict, but quit as the Director of the outlet after his release from prison. He recently launched a new political party ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October.