Georgian Government Behind Seizure of Independent Television Station

Georgian Government Behind Seizure of Independent Television Station

TBILISI, Georgia, December 11/PRNewswire/ -- Giorgi Jaoshvili, a Georgian businessman, today spoke out about the
illegal seizure of Georgia's only national, independent TV station, Imedi
Television, stating that the Georgian government was behind the seizure and
used coercion to achieve its seizure.

Speaking at the same press conference in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi,
Lord Goldsmith QC of Debevoise & Plimpton, lawyers for the widow and
immediate family of Arkadi (Badri) Patarkatsishvili, announced that the
family were now starting a case in international arbitration against the
Georgian government claiming that the government had expropriated the
television station and another asset, the Mtatsminda amusement park.

Imedi Television was a popular national station in Georgia, independent
of state control, managed by the international media organisation, News
International. The majority of shares were held by Mr Jaoshvili on behalf of
Mr Patarkatsishvili, who died unexpectedly earlier this year in the UK. Mr
Patarkatsishvili was an opponent of President Saakashvili and stood against
him in the Presidential elections of January 2008. On 7th November 2007,
Imedi was violently seized and shut down by the Georgian authorities.

A spokesperson for the family of Mr Patarkatsishvili said:

"We have always maintained that Imedi was taken illegally and against our
will, and we are determined to continue our efforts to get the station back".

Imedi means "hope" in Georgian.

Editor's Notes

Lord Goldsmith is the former UK Attorney General.

Source: The family of the late Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili

For more details, please call: Mark Hauf, +44(0)7726-361-037

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