OSCE warns of implications for media pluralism in Georgia

By Margarita Antidze TBILISI (Reuters) - The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) voiced concern on Thursday over an ownership dispute involving Georgia's biggest independent TV company, Rustavi 2, and said it could harm media freedom. Hundreds of viewers and supporters of Rustavi 2 rallied outside the Tbilisi city court building and the broadcaster's studio building in a gesture of support. A court in Tbilisi earlier this month ordered a seizure of shares in the company that owns Rustavi 2, which government officials have often accused of bias, until a final verdict on the ownership dispute. Former co-owner Kibar Khalvashi is seeking to claim back his shares in the broadcaster, one of the most popular in the former Soviet republic. The court ordered a freeze on Rustavi 2's property in August. Its managers say Khalvashi's lawsuit and the court's decisions were politically motivated and accused the government of being behind Khalvashi's bid. "According to reports, Rustavi 2 is experiencing significant financial and logistical constraints, effectively limiting its capacity to operate freely," Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, said in a statement. "If not lifted soon, the court order will entail serious restrictions on the diversity and plurality of the media in the country." She said the situation was especially worrisome as a parliamentary election in Georgia is scheduled for next year. "Democracy requires that people have access to diverse sources of information," Mijatović said. Hearings on the case will resume on Monday. Opposition politicians and many independent experts say the process is an attempt to silence an independent media in the country of 3.7 million. Government officials deny any involvement in this case. "My government fully supports a pluralistic media environment...I am saddened to witness the recent attempts to politicize the legal dispute between two private parties regarding the ownership of Rustavi 2," Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili said on Thursday. (Editing by Angus MacSwan)