Georgia opposition wants Imedi TV back on air

TBILISI (Reuters) - Some 10,000 opposition supporters held a protest outside Georgia's parliament on Monday, demanding the government allow opposition broadcaster Imedi TV back on the air.

In January, Tbilisi's municipal court seized the television station, which was founded by the late opposition politician Badri Patarkatsishvili, who died suddenly last month at his mansion near London. Police have found no evidence of foul play.

Earlier in January, prosecutors had charged the tycoon, who failed in a bid to unseat President Mikhail Saakashvili in a snap election, with plotting a coup and organizing a terrorist attack.

According to Georgian law, a broadcaster can lose its license if it fails to go back on the air within three months. In Imedi's case, this deadline expires on March 26. Imedi is owned by members of Patarkatsishvili's family and is operated by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

"We don't want to lose our last hope -- Imedi TV -- and we won't allow the government to do that," Zviad Dzidziguri, an opposition leader, told a crowd of supporters.

Opposition members have held regular protests since the January 5 election, saying it was rigged and demanding a fresh vote. They are also calling for the resignation of parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze.

Some 50 opposition leaders and activists have been on a hunger strike for 16 days.

Monday's rally was the biggest in the past two weeks.

Imedi TV has had a series of run-ins with the government. It was raided by police during a wave of opposition protests in November. The police crackdown was strongly criticized by Western states.

Imedi went back on air in December, only to go dark again within two weeks, with managing editors complaining the station was could not function properly because it was being held hostage to "dirty political games".

Most of Imedi's reporters have resigned since then.

After Patarkatsishvili's death, Georgian media reported that Imedi's controlling stake had been sold to a relative, businessman Iosif Kakalashvili. Kakalashvili confirmed in an interview to local television that he had acquired Imedi's controlling stake from one of shareholders.

News Corp. representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Patarkatsishvili's widow Inna Gudavadze said on Monday she hoped Imedi would get back on the air soon, but said she did not want the station to become a political pawn.

"On the basis of my British lawyers' insistent demand, I want to state categorically that politicizing this issue is completely inadmissible," she said in a statement.

"It's important for me that Imedi continues functioning and serving the Georgian people. I'm confident that I'll manage to restore justice through the courts."

(Editing by Caroline Drees)