The case of Nika Gvaramia is a very good example of why Georgia needs an independent judicial system - Degnan

US Ambassador Kelly Degnan spoke about the imprisonment of Director General of the Mtavari Channel, Nika Gvaramia, on Mtavari TV's programme "Guest of the Day" and said that the US was closely following the developments around his case.

"We have had questions about his case from the beginning about the timing and charges. We continue to follow reports from the public defender who says there were indications of political persecution. This is a broad issue of media freedom. Georgia has always had a reputation for having a strong media environment. And recently we have seen a decline in that, and that is worrying," said Kelly Degnan.

The Ambassador said the case of Nika Gvaramia shows that the country needs to have an independent judiciary that will be credible.

"This is a very good example of why Georgia needs an independent judiciary. When issues such as Nika Gvaramia's case arise, the public needs to have faith in an impartial and independent judicial decision," Degnan said.