By Vivek Thiagarajan
Senior Desk Officer Impunity Watch, Middle East

TBILSI, Georgia-  The city court has a suspended a local TV company’s broadcast license. The court stated that the company’s coverage of unrest in the city of Tsibili on November 7, 2007 was driven by the company’s desire to overthrow the government.

The television station, Imedi, decided to air a statement of Badri Patarkatsishvili, a co-owner of the station.  The court ruled that the statement included calls for the people of Georgia to overthrow the government inciting possible violence.

Insiders involved with News Corp., the Robert Murdoch group that controls Imedi TV, have called the allegations that Imedi TV is possibly involved in a coup of the government “ridiculous.”  (Civil Georgia)  Imedi TV has pledged to appeal ruling to higher courts to overturn the city court’s ruling.

Georgia is currently involved in a state of emergency following the riots that began November 2.  The protesters had four demands for the government  “(1) conduct parliamentary elections in spring 2008, instead of late 2008; (2) create new election administrations with representatives from political parties; (3) change the current majoritarian election system – a first-past-the-post, winner takes all system; and (4) release political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.”  (Transparency International)

On November 7, the crowd was dispersed by riot police with tear gas.  More than 500 people had to seek medical attention from injuries sustained through the tear gas.

The Georgian government has treated the protest as an attempted coup.  Thus it has placed the country in a state of an emergency for the last week.  The government has reported that it will lift the state of emergency Friday, November 15.

Although the situation seems to be calming down, the fact that the government has shut down the main opposition news network is disconcerting, because the news agency is a necessary check for the government.

For more information, please see:

Civil Georgia Online Magazine- Court Suspends Imedi’s TV Broadcast License-14 November 2007

Radio Free Europe- Criticism Mounting Over Georgia’s State Of Emergency- 8 November 2007

Russia Today- Tbilisi court suspends opposition TV license- 15 November 2007

Today’s Zaman- Georgia to lift emergency, TV stays off the air- 15 November 2007

Transparency International- Transparency International Georgia Comments on Events of November 7, 2007 in Tbilisi- 8 November 2007