On December 1, Imedi, a TV channel that follows a pro-government editorial policy, disseminated a photo from that night’s protest rally, claiming it depicted an armed protester. The TV channel captioned the photo as “Allegedly armed ‘peaceful’ protester.” Based on Imedi’s report, several Facebook accounts (1; 2) also shared the photo.
The claim by pro-government Imedi TV that an armed protester was present at the rally is disinformation. The photo circulated by the media was cropped from a live broadcast by TV Pirveli. When viewing the uninterrupted footage, it becomes clear that the individual shown on the information card is not an armed protester but a media representative holding a tripod, not a weapon.
On December 1, at 12:20 AM, TV Pirveli began an eight-hour uninterrupted live broadcast from the protest on its Facebook page. Several journalists were working near the Parliament building.
Approximately an hour and twenty minutes into the live broadcast (timecode: 1:22:46), the scene used by Imedi TV for its information card appears. Watching the continuous footage reveals that the individual in the photo is standing with a tripod and camera and is also wearing a badge, likely indicating that he is a media representative. This individual is not armed; he is holding a camera tripod and filming the surrounding area.
In the exact episode that the pro-government media outlet uses as the basis for claiming that there was an armed protester at the rally, we can see that the individual in question is wearing a badge; a camera strap is also visible.
A few seconds later, the individual turns around and continues filming, during which his camera is fully visible in the live broadcast. This further confirms that he is holding a tripod and a camera, not a weapon. Additionally, in the photo used for the TV station’s information card, one detail is likely perceived by viewers as a weapon’s detail, namely, a magazine. However, in TV Pirveli’s live broadcast, it is clearly visible that the object is actually part of a rainwater downpipe.
It should be noted that Imedi TV itself said that the footage was cropped from TV Pirveli’s live broadcast and claimed that they were the ones to identify the armed protester.
On November 28, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the government, which was approved that very day, would not put the issue of opening EU accession negotiations on the agenda until the end of 2028 and additionally, that they were refusing budget funding from the EU. Mass demonstrations are being held across Georgia to protest this decision.
Pro-government media outlets are actively involved in a discrediting campaign against the protesters. Myth Detector has fact-checked several false claims spread by pro-government media and news agencies about protests following the parliamentary elections in Georgia.
About the sources:
One of the Facebook accounts disseminating Imedi’s disinformation belongs to Irma Khakhutaishvili. She is a supporter of the ruling party, Georgian Dream. Khakhutaishvili regularly posts anti-Western and anti-opposition content as well as fake news on social media. Myth Detector has repeatedly fact-checked her posts and also established her involvement in discrediting campaigns targeting former Public Defender Nino Lomjaria and the leader of the opposition political party Lelo, Mamuka Khazaradze.
The account Nino Labartkava has also spread disinformation in the past, including during the 2020 protests. Myth Detector has verified two posts from this account previously.
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