ECHR postpones transfer of Georgia’s opposition TV

TBILISI, Georgia – Georgia’s main opposition-minded television station says the European Court of Human Rights has ordered the suspension until next week of a ruling by the country’s Supreme Court that hands the station to a government-friendly owner.

The Supreme Court ruled late Thursday that Rustavi-2 TV station should be given to its former owner, Kibar Khalvashi.

But the station published late Friday what it said was a copy of an order from the ECHR to suspend the move until Wednesday.

Rustavi 2, Georgia’s most popular TV station, has been sharply critical of the government. The opposition sees the verdict as an attempt by the authorities to silence criticism.

The court backed Khalvashi’s claim that he was forced to sell the station cheaply under former President Mikhail Saakashvili.