OSCE Media Chief, EU Envoy in Tbilisi over Imedi TV
Imedi TV, which was put off the air by the authorities, is ?an alternative source of information, the presence of which is part of Georgia’s pluralistic media landscape,? Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said.
Haraszti, along with Peter Semneby, the EU special representative for the South Caucasus, are visiting Tbilisi to discuss the situation surrounding Imedi TV.
?Access to a diverse spectrum of news is especially important in view of the upcoming presidential elections,” Haraszti said.
He met with Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze in Vienna on November 21, where the two discussed Imedi TV.
In Tbilisi, Haraszti is expected to meet with government officials, politicians, lawyers, and media professionals, including Imedi management and staff.
Meanwhile, a nine-party opposition coalition plans to hold a demonstration on November 25 in Tbilisi to demand the resumption of Imedi TV broadcasts.
Imedi TV remains off the air because of two separate decisions by the courts and the Georgian National Communications Commission. However, Imedi Radio – part of the same media holding company – is also off the air, even though no such judgments legally prevent it from resuming broadcasts.
?We have not received any paper, or notification, explaining why we can not resume broadcasting,? Nona Kandiashvili, managing director of Imedi Radio, said on November 20.
The radio station’s, along with the TV station’s, studios remain sealed off by police and staff haven’t been allowed back to work.
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