Anchor Quits Public TV Executive Post

Inga Grigolia, an anchor of the public TV’s weekly political talk show, said she had resigned from the post of the broadcaster’s deputy director general as she disagreed with the decision not to interview ex-defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili.

She also said that her resignation from the executive post in the television would not affect her weekly talk show, which would continue.

The Georgian public television said on March 10 that granting airtime to Irakli Okruashvili, who is a leader of opposition Movement for United Georgia, would be “violation of international standards” as far as he is wanted by the Georgian authorities. Okruashvili, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in absentia, last March by the Georgian court for “large-scale extortion,” has been granted political asylum in France.

Grigolia, who has acknowledged having talks with the Okruashvili’s party to arrange the ex-minister’s interview through live satellite link-up from France, said that she disagreed with the decision of the public TV.

She told the Georgian daily, Rezonansi, that the public broadcaster’s general director, Levan Kubaneishvili, is her “friend” and did not think that Kubaneishvili’s decision not to give airtime to Okruashvili was the result of pressure from the authorities.

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