New legislation being pushed by Georgian Dream directly undermines one of the key recommendations of the European Commission on free media environment, Media Advocacy coalition, a conglomerate of CSOs working on media freedom issues said.
The recommendation number 7 in the list of 12 recommendations put forth by the European Commission for Georgia to receive the club’s candidacy status, calls on Georgia to "undertake stronger efforts to guarantee a free, professional, pluralistic and independent media environment, notably by ensuring that criminal procedures brought against media owners fulfil the highest legal standards, and by launching impartial, effective and timely investigations in cases of threats against the safety of journalists."
Set of steps undertaken by the Georgian Government in recent months have been viewed as blows to media freedom in Georgia both domestically and internationally.
Among these is the arrest of Nika Gvaramia, the Mtavari TV CEO on politically-motivated charges, as well as impunity for organizers of the July 5, 2021 mass violence by Kremlin-linked extremists, as a result of which 55 journalists were beaten and one died.
Additionally, DRI reiterated the European Parliament’s call on the Georgian authorities to guarantee the rule of law and fundamental freedoms and to restrict the use of strategic lawsuits against media representatives, and also human rights defenders.
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