ECHR Rejects to Revise Its Rustavi 2 TV Ruling

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected the appeal of the former owners of Rustavi 2 TV, brothers Giorgi and Levan Karamanishvili, who owned the TV channel in 2012-2019, to revise the ECHR ruling of July 18, 2019.

According to ECHR press release, at its last meeting on December 9, the Grand Chamber panel of five judges decided to reject the request, making the judgment of July 18 final.

In its judgement of July 18, the seven-member Chamber of ECHR declared that there has been no breach in fair trial guarantees in Rustavi 2 ownership dispute.

Following the ECHR ruling, the Georgian government enforced the ruling of the Georgian Supreme Court, according to which Rustavi 2 TV was seized from brothers Karamanishvili and handed over to businessman Kibar Khalvashi.

Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani said at the today’s news briefing that the ECHR ruling is “yet another huge victory” of the state, and Justice Ministry in particular, “against whom this appeal was addressed.”

Tsulukiani said, this is also a victory of the Georgian Supreme Court, its Grand Chamber and former Chair Nino Gvenetadze, who, while making the decision over this case, had faced “numerous attacks… assaults.”

For more background, follow our tag on Rustavi 2

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