The Tbilisi Court of Appeals upheld, on June 10, the earlier decision of the city court mandating changing the ownership of the prominent Georgian opposition TV channel, Rustavi 2. The media outlet, which is closely connected to the formerly ruling United National Movement (UNM), belongs to businessmen Levan and Giorgi Karamanishvili, but their ownership rights are being contested by businessman Kibar Khalvashi along with the founders of Rustavi 2, Jarji Akimidze and David Dvali. All three challengers owned Rustavi 2 TV at different periods in the past. And all three say that the Georgian authorities under former president Mikheil Saakashvili …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation
