The Cabinet of the President of the European Council highlights that they are keeping track of Nika Gvaramia’s trial and the Georgian Public Defender’s remarks. Correspondingly, the Cabinet of the President vehemently stresses the requirement that the 19 April 2021 political agreement be followed by the Georgian government.
Nika Gvaramia, the founder of opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi, has been incarcerated for more than five months and has been given a three-and-a-half-year sentence.
Frédéric Bernard, Head of the Cabinet, thanked representatives of the Georgian media for their letter of concern from May 24 on Nika Gvaramia’s incarceration.
Conforming to the letter, the European Council pays careful attention to Gvaramia’s court case. Bernard remarked, “We have noted the statement of the Georgian Public Defender, which raises doubts about the Court’s reasoning in Mr Gvaramia’s case, both in terms of conviction and sentencing.”
In accordance with the rule of law and international commitments, particularly the European Convention on Human Rights, the Cabinet of the President emphasizes the importance of upholding fundamental rights and due legal process.
“The EU repeatedly called on the Georgian authorities to engage in an inclusive and comprehensive reform of the judiciary,” underlined the Head of the Cabinet.
“This is also one of the cornerstones of the 19 April 2021 political agreement and the recently adopted EU-Georgia Association Agenda,” he added.
Bernard said that the EU will “continue to follow Mr Gvaramia’s court case” and through the EU Delegation in Tbilisi will follow the “wider justice reform closely.”
By Sophie Hodler
