Ban on Georgian TV station lifted

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A court in Georgia has lifted a ban on a leading independent television station that was raided and shut down during opposition protests a month ago.

Imedi TV was the main outlet for opposition views, and authorities accused it of broadcasting calls for the government to be overthrown.

The government has said the station is no longer a threat to the state.

Staff are due to return to their studios on Friday and the channel is expected to be back on air within days.

Georgia's pro-Western government had been under pressure from the US and Europe to allow Imedi to start working again.

Image at stake

After the outbreak of civil unrest, the Georgian leader, Mikhail Saakashvili, called early presidential elections for next month as part of his attempt to defuse the political crisis.

He was also seeking to restore his international image as a democratic reformer, which was damaged when he used force to put down the opposition protests.

Mr Saakashvili has called elections for the new year

His Western allies insisted it was essential to restore media freedom so the polls could be genuinely democratic.

But the dispute between Imedi and the authorities could continue.

One of the station's owners is a multi-millionaire businessman who is standing as an opposition candidate in the presidential elections.

There is still some anger in Georgia about the way the government ended the opposition protests.

The main pro-opposition television station may be returning to the airwaves - but the election campaign could still prove to be bitter and divisive.