His Excellency Eduard Shevardnaze
President
Republic of Georgia
Tbilisi
     
Mr. Vakhtang Abashidze
Press Secretary
Office of the President
E-mail:  meta@iberiapac.ge
     
Your Excellency:
     
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-governmental, 
non-partisan organization devoted to defending its colleagues rights 
around the world, is writing to express its concern about the shutdown 
of the independent television station Rustavi-2.  
     
According to local journalists, on July 17, Rustavi-2, the leading 
non-governmental TV station in Tbilisi with an audience of more than 
one million viewers, was forced off the air by the Georgian Ministry 
of Communications.  Authorities claimed in retrospect that the 
commercial charter of Gamma Plus Agency, Ltd., the parent company of 
Rustavi-2 in Tbilisi and Rustavi City, does not authorize it to 
broadcast on a television frequency.
     
Gamma Plus Agency, Ltd. was granted its first broadcasting license 
from the Ministry of Communications on June 16, 1994 and went on the 
air in a suburb of Tbilisi. On February 12, 1996, Gamma Plus Agency, 
Ltd. was granted permission from the Ministry to broadcast on VHF 
Channel 12 in the city of Tbilisi for a three-year period, and 
starting June 19, went on the air with an 8-hour broadcasting cycle.  
Nearly a year ago, a similar dispute arose regarding the same 
licensing issue.  That case was settled out of court after a 
month-long legal battle in which a Tbilisi municipal judge declared 
that the station had not violated telecommunications regulations
     
Independent observers are concerned that the sudden revocation of the 
license despite the last year's court ruling  is a violation of press 
freedom designed to pressure independent broadcasters.  Furthermore, 
the immediate transfer of the rights to Channel 12 to a competing 
station, NPL Studio, that was founded by figures close to the 
government, suggests that there may have been political motivations 
involved in the revocation of the license.  Official reports indicate 
that a senior official close to the President may have used the power 
of office to close  Rustavi-2. This official was originally involved 
in helping Rustavi-2 to obtain its license but then became a founder 
of its competitor station after his business relations with Rustavi-2 
broke down. 
     
Independent observers are also concerned that the station's coverage 
of controversial political, ethnic, and organized crime stories may 
have been a factor in the maneuvering to withdraw its license.  
Rustavi-2 is one of 12 members of the Television Network of Georgia,  
a confederation of independent stations that air a weekly national 
news program, and an affiliate of the Independent Broadcasting System 
in the Commonwealth of Independent States. 
     
We urge you to investigate this matter, make public your findings, and 
seek a temporary restraining order to allow Rustavi-2 to continue its 
daily broadcasts unhindered until the matter is examined through due 
process in a court of law.  Rustavi-2, which has claimed repeatedly that 
it has met all licensing requirements, should be given every opportunity 
to take action to comply with the law.
     
Thank you for your attention to this matter and we await your 
response.
     
Sincerely,
     
William A. Orme, Jr.
Executive Director
     
 cc:    Ambassador Tedo Djaparidze
        Ambassador Kent N. Brown
        American Society of Newspaper Editors 
        Amnesty Internatio-nal
        Article 19 (United Kingdom)
        Artikel 19 (The Netherlands)
        Canadian Committee To Protect Journalists
        Congressional Committee to Support Writers and Journalists 
        Freedom House
        Human Rights Watch
        Index on Censorship
        International Association of Broadcasting 
        International Federation of Journalists 
        International Federation of Newspaper 
                Publishers
        International Journalism Institute
        International PEN
        International Press Institute

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