Protesters demand fair ruling for Rustavi 2 TV

(2 Mar 2017) Supporters of independent TV company Rustavi 2 gathered outside Georgia's Supreme Court in Tbilisi on Thursday, demanding a fair ruling in the case which will determine the future of the country's most popular television channel. The Supreme Court's Grand Chamber began the final hearing of the Rustavi 2 case on Thursday. The hearing is taking place behind closed doors, with no representatives of the parties are allowed to attend. The ruling will be final and it will be reached by a simple majority of the Grand Chamber members. The case against Rustavi 2 was initiated by its former owner Kibar Khalvashi, who claims that in 2006 he was forcefully stripped of his ownership. But for those who gathered outside the Supreme Court the case against Rustavi 2 is politically motivated. They believe that the current government is behind Kibar Khalvashi, and the ownership dispute is just a tool to silence the most influential media outlet in Georgia which is very critical of the government. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/66d41f3298390c8e47a28bfc9a46504e Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork