A number of NGOs have placed funeral flowers outside the Public Broadcaster of Adjara after appointment of its new director. According to representatives of the NGOs, they brought the sympathy flowers as a symbolic gesture pointing to the fact that The Adjara TV has witnessed its last day of freedom of speech and Giorgi Kokhreidze's appointment meant death of freedom of opinion and expression.
Giorgi Kokhreidze has been appointed to the post of director of Adjara Public Broadcaster, with three members of the advisory board having given him a vote of confidence. The second round proved mandatory to name a winner, since in the first, the votes were shared between three candidates: Giorgi Kokhreidze, Piruz Bolkvaze and Maia Merkviladze.
Former Directors Natia Kapanadze was removed from office via impeachment in April 2019.
After appointment of new Director General Giorgi Kokreidze, the representatives of the Information Service of the Public Broadcaster of Adjara have released a statement live on air today, in which they emphasized that trust which the public places into the Public Broadcaster is a joint achievement of its staff, and they will not let either the government or new managers destroy it. They require that the new management find all resources available not to allow the editorial policy to be called into question.
Tamta Kapanadze
News Author