Emergency statement by the General Director of the Mtavari Channel

At a time when the Georgian people are fighting in the streets to defend their rights and get rid of the illegitimate government, when demonstrators are being openly harassed, brutally tortured, robbed, illegally detained, prosecuted and imprisoned, and when journalists at the forefront of these events are the targets of physical attacks (some narrowly escaping permanent injury or even death), it is at this time that one of the founders of Mtavari Channel, instead of doing everything possible to help his team, has decided to align himself with the mass violence instigated by Georgian Dream and to use the means at his disposal to obstruct and abuse our journalists in order to make their work impossible.

Zaza Okuashvili has decided to do what Bidzina Ivanishvili desperately needs today - Zaza Okuashvili has decided to close down the 'Mtavari Channel'.

Okuashvili is acting through Gogi Kurdadze, the director he appointed a few months ago and a compliant executor of his orders. Kurdadze was introduced to the company at Okuashvili's suggestion with the sole purpose of ensuring that the aforementioned founder maintained effective control over the channel to serve his personal interests. Beyond this, Gogi Kurdadze lacks any expertise in television operations, is unfamiliar with the channel's employees, disregards their requests for meetings, and does not even show up to work.

The only action Gogi Kurdadze takes under Okuashvili's orders is to block all financial transactions within the company and refuse to sign contracts critical to its operations. For instance, due to his actions, the employees' health insurance has been terminated—an especially serious issue given the current circumstances, where journalists and cameramen are regularly subjected to attacks and abuse. Despite this, neither Okuashvili nor Kurdadze, as the founder and director respectively, show any concern for these matters, even though they are responsible for the well-being of the company’s employees.

As a result of Zaza Okuashvili's decisions and the actions of his director, the Mtavari Channel has already been deprived of financial resources, and contracts previously signed with us are gradually being terminated. This will ultimately render the channel's operation impossible—precisely the outcome that Bidzina Ivanishvili seeks today.
To justify their decisions, Okuashvili uses such absurd, fabricated accusations that I don't even think it's worth discussing them here - they have gone so far in their lies as to claim that Bidzina Ivanishvili is protecting us and that we have made a deal with the oligarch. Moreover, they also claim that we sometimes say it ourselves to Kurdadze.....

In reality, the situation is clear and entirely the opposite—if anyone is serving the interests of the Georgian Dream at Mtavari Channel today, it is Zaza Okuashvili, who is deliberately steering the channel toward closure. There is a well-founded suspicion that he is doing so either in direct agreement with the illegitimate government or to use the channel as a bargaining tool. As you may know, Okuashvili is engaged in a serious legal dispute with Bidzina Ivanishvili, which not only does not preclude collaboration between them but, on the contrary, suggests that Okuashvili might be manipulating Mtavari Channel precisely to secure a favorable resolution in this dispute.
Okuashvili’s dealings with the Georgian Dream are not new. It is worth recalling that his family members, Nato and Rostom Chkheidze, cast their votes in favor of the Justice Council members backed by Georgian Dream. At the time, the government lacked the necessary votes to secure these appointments and was in urgent need of support from opposition members. The Okuashvili family turned out to be  their crucial lifeline.

We have not fought so hard just to see the channel handed over—through Zaza Okuashvili—to Bidzina Ivanishvili. Therefore, we will continue the fight and will stay on the air for our viewers and the Georgian people as long as we can.

What matters most is you, our audience, and what drives us is standing alongside our colleagues in the most critical hotspots, reporting until the very last moment on events shaping Georgia’s destiny. Neither Gogi, nor Zaza, nor even Putin’s ally Bidzina can stop us!

Thank you for your unwavering support!