Georgian journalists call on colleagues around the world to support Nika Gvaramia, the most influential journalist in Georgia

Georgian journalists call on colleagues around the world to support Nika Gvaramia, the most influential journalist in Georgia. 

Journalism is not a crime!
 

We would like to tell you about Nika Gvaramia. He is the most popular journalist and media manager in Georgia. Nika has been in illegal detention for a year now. He is a prisoner of the Georgian government. His fight for freedom of speech and human rights, and against authoritarianism and pro-Russian politics, has cost him his freedom. For years, the government failed to silence him with absurd charges and court proceedings. Despite numerous attempts, they failed to bribe, intimidate, or simply silence him. They know that they will never be able to silence him, for Nika Gvaramia main goal is the de-oligarchization and freedom of Georgia. So, the regime imprisoned Gvaramia on totally absurd charges, without legal precedent. We, his colleagues, the journalists who also work under constant pressure, have been demanding Nika's release for a year now. That is why we are asking you, our colleagues in the free world, to hear our plea for justice and help us however you can. Unlike us, you have no boundaries on your freedom of speech. We will fight for Nika to return to his work, to his family. Most importantly, the story of Nika Gvaramia concerns all of us. Tomorrow, any of us could turn out to be unacceptable to the authorities and end up behind bars. We are not going to keep silent and we are counting on you, our allies in the pursuit of liberty and justice for all. 
We are launching the #FreeNikaGvaramia international Journalists' Challenge. We pass the baton on to Polish journalists. We urge you to ask Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili to release Nika Gvaramia and also to pass the baton to your colleagues from other countries.