Ketevan Kvinikadze, the Secretary General of the Georgian Parliament, suspended the accreditation of four journalists of Mtavari, Formula and Pirveli TV companies for different periods and forbade them to work in the building of the legislative body. Reporters of critical television stations were sanctioned at the request of the deputies of the parliamentary majority.
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At the request of People's Power member Guram Macharashvili, the accreditation of TV Pirveli journalist Maka Chikhladze was suspended for one month. Additionally, Sozar Subari demanded the suspension of Nata Kajaia's accreditation. She was preparing a story for Nodar Meladze's Saturday. As a result, she is also restricted from working in the Parliament for one month, including until July 3.
As Nodar Meladze, TV Pirveli information service head says, the MPs are abusing the repressive rules approved by the Parliament Speaker.
"Under the repressive policy, we cannot replace a journalist during the period of suspension of accreditation. Only one journalist from our program had accreditation, which means we will no longer be able to work in the Parliament.
It is the duty of the media to ask questions of those responsible for creating a journalistic product and get their answers. Since we are not given the opportunity to do so in the Parliament, we will be forced to interview Sozar Subar and other members of Parliament outside the Parliament: at a shop, a house, a salon, a restaurant, wherever we can," says Meladze.
Based on the statement of Nino Tsilosani, a Georgian Dream member and the Parliament Vice Speaker, Mtavari Arkhi’s journalist Nini Balanchivadze was banned from working in the legislative body for one month, and Formula’s journalist Sopo Gozalishvili was banned for six months. They had asked Tsilosani questions about the expected sanctions from the USA due to the adoption of the Russian Law.
"Despite the refusal of the parliament member to record the interview, you continued to try to record the interview and did not stop the video recording," reads the letters sent to the journalists, signed by Ketevan Kvinikadze.
The reason for arresting the journalists is an order issued last year by the Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili. Based on this order, journalists are obliged to stop the interview if the MP does not want to answer the questions. If this rule is violated, the journalist's accreditation is suspended for one month by the decision of the head of the department. In case of a repeated violation, the suspension is extended to six months. Papuashvili's order has been appealed to the Constitutional Court. The plaintiffs believe it contradicts the freedom of expression, the right to receive and spread information, and the freedom of the press, all protected by Article 17 of the Constitution of Georgia.
