The Tbilisi Court of Appeals rejected the appeal of journalist Eka Kvesitadze and upheld the decision of the City Court, ordering her to pay 25,000 GEL in damages to Rustavi 2 TV station.
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„The Court of Appeals also upheld the wrongful practices established by the City Court that violate labor laws. It is especially noteworthy that Eka Kvesitadze was charged with compensating Rustavi 2 for damages. This is a liability created by Rustavi 2 when they fired Kvesitadze. It is alarming that the person laid off from work is the one liable to pay 25,000 GEL to Rustavi 2. Unfortunately, both the City Court and the Court of Appeals neglected key evidence in the case and established such practice, said Nona Kurdovanidze, the chairwoman of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association.
Eka Kvesitadze sued Rustavi 2 in 2019, as she held that she was wrongfully terminated by the TV channel’s new director, Paata Salia. The journalist demanded the annulment of the lay-off on grounds of discrimination, her reinstatement, compensation for forced absence from work, and reimbursement of wage debt owed to her by Rustavi 2.
According to Kvesitadze, the decision by the Court of Appeals was not a surprise to her:
“My case fits into the general context of a fight against free media. This is a policy of violence and mockery – the same kind that underlay the arrest of Nika Gvaramia [General Director of Mtavari Arkhi TV channel]. We can charge you for anything, fine you, or arrest you for any cause, we can do it all and get away with it – this is the message. Of course, we will pursue this case till the end and appeal to courts at all levels, but we do not expect the Supreme Court to reach a different verdict,”
A major crackdown and personnel shake-up began in Rustavi 2 in July 2019, following the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to return the shares of the television company to its former owner, businessman Kibar Khalvashi. Khalvashi fired the then-general director of the channel, Nika Gvaramia, and appointed his own lawyer, Paata Salia in his place. In August, Salia laid off leading journalists of the channel, including the head of the news service Nodar Meladze, and the program presenters - Giorgi Gabunia, Eka Kvesitadze, and Nanuka Zhorzholiani. In their wake, almost the entire team left Rustavi 2 in protest. In about a month, under the leadership of Nika Gvaramia, they founded the Mtavari Arkhi TV station.
Nodar Meladze and Nanuka Zhorzholian also filed a lawsuit against Rustavi 2. In 2022, the Tbilisi City Court ruled the termination of both unlawful. Rustavi 2 was ordered to pay 80,000 GEL for Meladze and 82,000 GEL to Zhorzholiani. The TV company was planning to appeal the decisions.
