The seven-member Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights decided on March 7 to prolong "until further notice" the suspension of the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s March 2 decision. 

ECHR instructed the Government of Georgia on March 3 that the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s decision, which granted the ownership rights of Rustavi 2 TV to its former co-owner, should be suspended and that the authorities should abstain from interfering with the applicant company’s editorial policy.

The ECHR’s one-page letter, which briefly outlines the ECHR Chamber’s March 7 decision, was posted by Nika Gvaramia, director general of Rustavi 2 TV, on his Facebook page.

“Please be informed that on March 7, 2017 a Chamber constituted from the Section to which the case had been allocated decided unanimously to confirm, until further notice, the interim measure indicated by the judge on March 3, 2017,” the ECHR letter said.

Under the Rules of Court, a Chamber is composed of the President of the Section to which the case was assigned, the “national judge” (the judge elected in respect of the State against which the application was lodged) and five other judges designated by the Section President in rotation.