Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has pardoned Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the pro-opposition TV channel Mtavari. The decision comes three days after the Supreme Court upheld Gvaramia's conviction for alleged abuse of power during his tenure as director of Rustavi 2 TV company. 

His imprisonment in May 2022 was widely seen as politically motivated, and it has drawn international condemnation, including from the US and EU. It added to growing concerns about press freedom, the independence of the judiciary, and alleged political persecution in the country. 

Zurabishvili has become increasingly critical of the Georgian Dream government, although she was initially supported by the ruling party. She recently criticised Tbilisi's drift towards Moscow, which goes against its stated goal of joining the EU.

Zurabishvili faced increasing pressure from opposition groups and civil society to issue the pardon, particularly as Georgia seeks EU membership candidate status in the coming months. This week Tbilisi was told it had only fulfilled three of the 12 recommendations Brussels had issued as part of its drive to join the bloc.

The US embassy also recently expressed disquiet with the Supreme Court decision.

The president's move aligns with one of the EU's priorities for Georgia, which includes guaranteeing a free and independent media environment. Zurabishvili refrained from providing specific reasoning for the pardon but emphasised her discretionary right as president and dismissed external pressure. 

The charges against Gvaramia included abuse of power, embezzlement, commercial bribery, and document forgery, with the prosecution focusing on the provision of a luxury car to Rustavi 2 in exchange for advertisements.

Under Gvaramia, Rustavi 2, a free-to-air TV channel, had been regarded as close to the main opposition party, the UNM of jailed former premier Mikheil Saakashvili. After he was dismissed, he founded Mtavari.