Transparency International has denounced censorship conducted by the ruling party of Georgia including attempts to intimidate critical media and suppress independent journalism in Georgia and called for international support to defend Georgian democracy and media freedom. In a statement released on 4th June, Transparency International said independent media in Georgia must be able to ask critical questions and demand answers from the government and noted that the legal intimidation of critical broadcasters is in direct contradiction to both the Georgian Constitution and the country’s international obligations.
Transparency International, Georgia's leading anti-corruption watchdog, advocacy-based think tank and local chapter of the global organisation expressed strong concern over the complaints filed by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, against leading critical broadcasters operating in Georgia namely TV Pirveli, Formula, and Mtavari TV with the latter currently operating only via website and social platforms.
According to the statement, the content of these complaints represents a direct attempt to impose censorship and to try to prohibit the media from using the following terms: “regime prisoners,” “oligarch’s MP,” “Dream’s Ministry of Internal Affairs,” “regime’s prime minister,” illegitimate parliament,” “So-called investigative commission,” “so-called speaker of parliament,” among others.
The complaints submitted to the Communications Commission are a clear and dangerous attempt to intimidate critical media, the statement said, especially given that the Communications Commission is not an impartial arbiter but, like other state institutions, operates under the control of Georgian Dream.
The television companies are accused in the complaints of “biased coverage,” “spreading disinformation,” and “lack of balance regarding the ruling party.” The cases involve broadcasters adhering to the standards of critical and investigative journalism and expressing editorial opinions driven by high public interest, which is guaranteed by law.
Georgian Dream’s attempt to impose strict restrictions on critical broadcasters through a regulatory commission it controls effectively banning the use of terms and evaluations that are unfavourable to the government is unfolding against the backdrop of a number of elements, according to Transparency International.
These include the fact that, within Georgian society and among the international community, there are numerous questions regarding the legitimacy of the 2024 parliamentary elections and the state institutions formed as a result of those elections. The statement also states that in a society where over 80 per cent of the population supports Georgia’s European integration, the Georgian Dream government has declared a moratorium on negotiations with the European Union.
The statement also reminds that peaceful demonstrations have been violently dispersed through the use of excessive police force, with hundreds of protesters subjected to torture or other forms of inhumane treatment. It notes that hundreds of protesters have faced unjust financial and administrative detention sanctions, and more than 60 individuals are undergoing legal proceedings on unfounded criminal charges.
Transparency International underlined that anti-democratic and illiberal amendments have been introduced into the legislation, which fundamentally contradict basic human rights and freedoms, undermining the rule of law and the democratic constitutional order. In this regard, the organisation says, the 2024 “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence,” the “Law on Registration of Foreign Agents” adopted in April 2025, and amendments to the “Law on Grants” are especially concerning.
Following the fundamental deterioration of the legal framework, criminal prosecutions of opposition political leaders are being carried out on formalistic grounds, the statement adds.
These complaints are not isolated incidents, Transparency International claims, but they are part of a broader repressive policy aimed at encouraging physical and verbal attacks against journalists, promoting smear campaigns against media outlets and their representatives and applying financial pressure and creating a politicized tax system.
The statement insists that these measures are problematic because they are a clear example of politically motivated SLAPP complaints (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), aimed at systematically intimidating the media rather than addressing actual violations. They also show signs of the abusive use of media regulatory mechanisms, which undermines editorial independence and freedom of expression and they misinterpret the principle of balance by demanding equal airtime for the ruling party, even though representatives of Georgian Dream routinely refuse to appear on or cooperate with critical television channels. It adds that these complaints are part of a broader authoritarian trend in which state institutions are used to silence critical voices and shrink civic space.
According to the statement the complaints violate international standards including Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights that protects freedom of expression, including the media’s right to criticize public figures as well as the Joint Guidelines of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission that say regulatory bodies must not become tools of political pressure, especially during election periods.
Transparency International called on International Partners and Organizations to clearly and publicly condemn the abuse of regulatory instruments against independent media and to demand monitoring of the Communications Commission’s activities to ensure its political impartiality and procedural fairness.
The statement also called for support to independent journalists in Georgia, including through legal and diplomatic mechanisms and to raise the case at a high level in bilateral and multilateral communications with the ruling party, emphasising that media freedom is a fundamental precondition for democratic legitimacy.
Source: commonspace.eu with Transparency International and agencies. Photo: AFP
