An OSCE representative evidently failed to secure a commitment from Tbilisi to allow Imedi TV to restart broadcasting ahead of presidential elections in January, but expressed confidence that the government would restore “media pluralism” by early December.

On November 23, Miklos Haraszti, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, held talks with high-ranking government officials including then-president Mikheil Saakashvili and parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze, as well as number of opposition leaders and representatives from Georgian media outlets.

Haraszti was undertaking a two-day joint visit to Tbilisi with Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus, to discuss the media situation in Georgia, in particular the recent closure of Imedi TV.

Police closed the station on November 7 after the government crackdown on protestors, amid claims that it was airing statements encouraging the overthrow of the administration.

Imedi TV’s broadcast license has been suspended for three months by the Georgian National Communications Commission.

The station is widely regarded as being less sympathetic to the government than its main rival Rustavi 2, and its closure has provoked statements of concern from foreign governments.

Imedi Radio, part of the Imedi media holding, is legally allowed to continue broadcasting, however it is currently also off air as authorities have blocked access to the premises.

The OSCE representative spoke of the importance of “access to a diverse spectrum of news” in the run-up to elections, and underlined the importance of impartial reporting.

“Restriction of pluralism would be unjustifiable in the eyes of the international community. I feel I was able to convey this message [to the government],” Haraszti said, according to an OSCE press release.

He added that the OSCE request to restore the diversity of media outlets in Georgia was met with “willingness” on the government side.

Director general of Imedi TV Bidzina Baratashvili also met with Haraszti but told online news source Civil.ge that the station management had not been in contact with the government. “Unfortunately there have not been so far any direct contacts between us [Imedi management] and the authorities. So it is very hard for me to speak about their intentions,” Baratashvili told Civil.ge. The same day, well-known political talk show host Inga Grigolia announced her resignation from the channel, citing frustration at the inability to broadcast real political debate.

Imedi TV journalists say that government officials have been refusing to appear in programs broadcast by the station for over a year.

Grigolia made her first television appearance—an independently-produced interview with Saakashvili—since leaving the station last night, November 25.

Eka Khoperia, another anchor at Imedi TV, also submitted her resignation last week, but did not say why.

Khoperia came to Imedi TV after quitting Rustavi 2 in July 2006, in what she claimed was a protest at government control over the political talk show “Free Time,” which she hosted.

On November 22 Tbilisi-based journalists signed an appeal at the office of the Human Rights Ombudsman calling for Imedi TV to be allowed to resume broadcasting immediately.

“For a stable and democratic development of the country, for its worldwide reputation, it is necessary to restore its pluralistic media landscape… Hence, we believe it necessary to resume broadcasting of Imedi TV and radio company,” the statement reads.

“This is very important for us and I want to thank all the media outlets who have joined this petition,” Baratashvili said, according to Civil.ge.