The failure to provide necessary information about public meetings of the Georgian government and limiting access to such events is becoming an established harmful practice. Deliberate discrimination against journalists persists. It has repeatedly created a hostile environment for the expression of opinion. On 8th April 2022, journalists uncovered discrimination towards the press during the regional tour of Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Gharibashvili. Part of national and local media outlets, including TV Pirveli, Mtavari Arkhi TV and Formula TV, were excluded from being notified about the visit.
This is not the first occasion on which Georgian Government representatives have displayed a selective attitude towards the media. On July 17th, 2021, certain media outlets were not invited to a public event with the Prime Minister in attendance. As per the press service, the TV companies were excluded from the event because “Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili believes that Mtavari Arkhi TV, TV Pirveli and Formula, have transgressed all forms of red lines”.
Furthermore, Vice-Prime Minister Thea Tsulukiani is notable for her discriminatory attitude towards journalists. On 8th December 2021, the Minister held a briefing on the appointment of theatre directors within the Ministry of Culture, during which the representatives of TV Pirveli were denied participation in the meeting. Later, in response to the journalist’s enquiry about the reasons for this restriction, the Minister of Culture and Vice-Prime Minister Tsulukiani stated that the journalist was not affiliated with a critical media outlet, but with an “unbridled media”. Moreover, the media was not invited to the briefing scheduled by the Minister of Culture of Georgia on 22nd November 2021. Similarly, on 11 November 2021, the Ministry of Justice imposed restrictions on the rights of journalists.
It appears that the government evades answering questions and only speaks to a specific segment of society, thus avoiding communication with the general public. This approach by the Government exacerbates the deep societal polarisation.
The Coalition reiterates that the government’s prejudiced treatment of the media infringes upon journalists’ right to perform their professional duties freely, gather and disperse vital information. It also undermines society’s ability to monitor current events through a range of sources.The law of Georgia “On Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination” strictly prohibits any kind of discrimination, including the cases mentioned above.Therefore, the Coalition urges the Georgian Government to renounce its discriminatory media policy and grant unrestricted access to information for all journalists.
