On November 23, President Charles Michel was asked in a letter to ask President Salome Zourabichvili to release jailed Mtavari Arkhi TV CEO Nika Gvaramia, and President Frederic Bernard, the Head of the Cabinet of the President of the European Council, answered. "Although President Zourabichvili stressed that they are closely following Gvaramia's situation both directly and via the EU Delegation in Georgia, the letter made no mention of demands for President Michel to talk with him about the matter," he said.
Bernard emphasized that the EU does not address the merits of particular cases. However, he also stated that issues had been raised, particularly by the Public Defender, concerning the Court's rationale in Mr. Gvaramia's case, both in terms of conviction and punishment. Bernard emphasized that in keeping with the rule of law and international agreements, notably the European Convention on Human Rights, basic rights and due legal process need to be upheld with clear and impartial court judgments.
As one of the cornerstones of the April 19 agreement and the newly approved EU-Georgia Association Agenda, he also drew attention to the fact that the EU has repeatedly called on Georgian authorities to engage in an inclusive and thorough reform of the judiciary. Bernard also mentioned that for Georgia to be granted EU candidate status, the European Commission has recommended that it make stronger efforts to guarantee a free, professional, pluralistic, and independent media environment, particularly by ensuring that criminal proceedings against media owners comply with the highest legal standards.
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