Members of Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees call the decision to dismiss Vasil-Ivanov Chikovani and Nino Zautashvili “illegal” and “unfair”
Yesterday’s decision of the management is illegal, biased, unfair, unprofessional. This is a decision made by people in the service of the regime. Under normal circumstances, on the contrary, the management of the Public Broadcaster should be proud of these employees, whom they sacrificed and treated so shamelessly, - Lika Basilaia, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Public Broadcaster, stated, together with other members, in front of the old building of the Public Broadcaster, when responding to the dismissal of journalists Nino Zautashvili and Vasil-Ivanov Chikovani.
As she noted, she will use all the levers at her disposal in response to this decision.
“Personally, as a member of the Board, I intend to use all the levers at my disposal so that those people, specifically Tinatin Berdzenishvili, Vasil Maghlaperidze and others, who conducted the so-called investigation and drew such an unfair conclusion based on lies and slander, on the basis of which these people were so shamelessly dismissed from their jobs, are held accountable, with the most severe sanctions.
The future will show how we will be able to fairly and legally punish these people, and then hold them accountable when the time comes, precisely for betraying the idea of the Public Broadcaster, for tarnishing the name and reputation of the television itself, and for destroying its future. This channel should serve the interests of society. That people protested that the events of November and early December were not being covered properly, a petition was prepared and many people signed it, the employees protested Irakli Kobakhidze's shameful statement that we are stopping the process of integration into the European Union because the Russian regime wanted it that way, the people protested this, and also protested that the events were being covered improperly, biasedly, and unfairly on this channel. Therefore, we will do everything to hold the responsible persons accountable, and this will definitely happen,” said Lika Basilaia.
As another member of the Board of Trustees, Lasha Tugushi, noted, no one will forget the decision made yesterday.
“Honest journalists who served this country were fired in the Soviet style, which is of course absolutely unacceptable. It is continuation of 1937, the decisions that were made yesterday are in that style. No one will forget what was unfortunately done yesterday," Tugushi said.
