TBILISI, February 12 – Georgian opposition figure and media executive Nika Gvaramia was released from prison on Thursday after serving an eight-month sentence.
Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the opposition coalition “Coalition for Change” and former director of TV companies Rustavi 2 and Mtavari Arkhi, left a prison facility in Rustavi after completing his term, according to Interpressnews.
He had been sentenced on July 1, 2025 to eight months in prison for failing to appear before a temporary investigative commission established by the ruling party controlled parliament. The refusal prompted criminal charges for failure to comply with a parliamentary commission’s request.
The court initially set bail at 30,000 lari (11,000 USD). Gvaramia did not pay the bail within the deadline, which led to his imprisonment. He did not attend the court hearing and presented himself at the Rustavi prison facility.
Speaking to journalists after his release, Gvaramia said he felt mixed emotions and stressed that others remain behind bars. He stated that he would continue fighting for their release and called for coordinated opposition action.
Gvaramia also described several individuals currently serving sentences as political prisoners and argued that the key measure of political imprisonment is the absence of a free court under the current authorities.
He urged opposition forces to work together and said political actors should focus on common action rather than internal disputes. He added that protest activity shows that the country is not fully controlled by those in power.
