The Media Advocacy Coalition condemns the Parliament’s suspension of accreditation of journalists and operators of the Formula TV, TV Pirveli and Mtavari Arkhi. These decisions are punitive, especially in light of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s boycott against critical media and the polarised media environment.
According to media reports, the parliament has suspended the accreditation of three leading media figures, namely TV Pirveli journalist Rusudan Dumbadze and cameraman Irakli Murmanishvili, Mtavari Arkhi TV’s journalist Tatia Tsotsonava and cameraman Zuka Chkhvirkia, and Formula TV journalist Sophia Gozalashvili. The parliament’s decision concerns the queries to the MPs in the parliamentary premises amidst the media’s reports on U.S.-sanctioned judges, as well as POSTV pro-government media co-founder Shalva Ramishvili, accused of sexually harassing women.
The media environment in the country is extremely difficult. The critical media are the target of politically motivated cases, physical attacks, threats, disinformation or illegal surveillance. The government boycotts critical media, depriving the public of the opportunity to hear different opinions and viewpoints. In this context, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament adopted rules on accreditation of journalists to the Parliament. The Media Advocacy Coalition has repeatedly stated that such a decision, which does not take into account the involvement of the media and their legitimate positions, is dangerous for journalists and can be used as a mechanism to limit critical questions asked by the media or to exert pressure on editorial policies. Our concerns were confirmed both by the above-mentioned decisions of the Parliament and during the discussions around the Russian law, when the authorities illegally restricted media from their constitutionally guaranteed right to freely carry out professional activities in the legislature. The procedure for accrediting representatives of the mass media to the Parliament of Georgia was challenged in court.
In this situation, the Parliament’s decision to suspend the accreditation of journalists and operators of critical television channels limits the possibility of expressing dissenting opinions and asking critical questions to the ruling party representatives.
The Media Advocacy Coalition calls on the Georgian Parliament to urgently reinstate the accreditation of TV company employees and to stop establishing a new, pernicious practice of additional pressure on critical media.
