International Foundation for Better Governance Welcomes International Attention on the Plight of Georgia's Rustavi 2 Television Station

International Foundation for Better Governance Welcomes International Attention on the Plight of Georgia's Rustavi 2 Television Station

BRUSSELS, October 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --



The International Foundation for Better Governance welcomes the international
attention being paid to the plight of the independent Georgian television station, Rustavi
2. Concern has been mounting that the television station is under pressure from the
Georgian government.  Rustavi 2 has long been recognised as a beacon of free speech and
pioneering broadcasting in Georgia, with dynamic journalists and innovative formats, such
as the political talk show.



The station first came under government pressure with legislation to eliminate the
channel's sources of revenue by changing the laws on television advertising. Rustavi 2 had
been unusual in the Georgian market because it enjoyed healthy revenue from advertising,
and the ensuing independence that such revenue brings.  It meant Rustavi was not reliant
on the government or patronage from wealthy owners and so had been unafraid to include
political talk shows and public affairs programmes in their scheduling.  This had been an
important forum for NGOs and voices of the opposition to openly air their views.



The second wave of pressure arrived in the form of Rustavi 2 facing court action to
seize control of a majority shareholding in a suit brought by a previous owner.  Even the
US Department of State has voiced concerns about this recent move, which can be found in
Ambassador Kelly's statement on the US Embassy
website: http://georgia.usembassy.gov/news-events/emb_news2015t/08102015statement.html



In an article published today in EU Today magazine in Brussels, Giorgi Targamadze, the
leader of the Christian-Democrat party in Georgia, spoke of his concerns:  "Georgia is a
developing democracy, and what happens here has implications for the whole region.  In the
run-up to next year's parliamentary elections, it is absolutely vital that all parties
should be able to reach their voters through the medium of television.  There is a
multitude of small political parties in this country, and if a ruling government coalition
suppresses free speech, then none of the opposition parties will have any chance in the
elections."



Also quoted in the EU Today article was Tom Weingartner, the President of the
Association of International Journalists (API).  He stated:  The freedom of the media is
constantly coming under attack.  It is vitally important in any democracy that there are a
range of different voices free to express their views without fear of coercion of any
sort."



The full article from EU Today can be found at http://eutoday.net/news/georgia-1 .



A court decision on Rustavi 2 is expected this week.  



The International Foundation for Better Governance



http://www.better-governance.org




The International Foundation for Better Governance

CONTACT: James Wilson, 0032496120786.


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