The Communications Commission has recognized Mtavari Arkhi as a lawbreaker for airing videos about supporters of the Russian Law. The Commission issued a written warning to the TV company and requested the immediate removal of the videos.
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"Meet the deputies who signed the Russian Law" – videos with this title were broadcast on Mtavari Arkhi at the end of the news program for about two months. These videos featured 84 MPs who supported the Russian Law, which the Communications Commission considered a political advertisement and subsequently sanctioned Mtavari Arkhi for airing them during a non-election period.
"As a result of the media monitoring carried out by the Commission, it was determined that in July of this year, video clips were broadcast on the mentioned television channel, showing and naming the members of parliament who supported the law on transparency of foreign influence in a negative context.
The Commission considered that the video clips served to hinder the election of political unions and their representatives potentially participating in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26, 2024. Therefore, the video clips were classified as political advertising.
Video clips containing political advertisements were aired in violation of the rules and norms for broadcasting political/pre-election advertisements as stipulated by Georgian legislation. In particular, according to the legislation, it is not allowed to air political advertisements outside the period and procedure stipulated by the Election Code.
Based on the fact that Mtavari Arkhi has not been sanctioned for a similar violation in the last year, the Commission issued a written warning to the broadcaster and instructed it to immediately remove the videos from the broadcasting network," the statement issued by the Communications Commission reads.
The commission's decision will be appealed to the court. Tamta Muradashvili, the lawyer of Mtavari Arkhi, connects the suspension with the pre-election period.
"We have not received a reasoned decision yet, but we know for sure that we will definitely go to court. This informational material does not contain any evaluation; it is simply factual information. Nevertheless, the regulatory commission considered it to be a political ad. In addition to making a wrong and baseless decision, the commission also violated the law by making a decision in absentia, not allowing us to submit a written position or participate.
"This decision indicates that as soon as the pre-election campaign starts, and it has already started, the commission will be especially attentive to critical media and will definitely take more severe measures against the media," says Muradashvili.
Nika Gvaramia, the former general director of Mtavari Arkhi and the leader of the Ahali party, says that the Communications Commission acts as a censor and a political body of Bidzina Ivanishvili, punishing the media. Gvaramia believes that the commission's decision is a limitation of editorial policy.
On May 28, the parliamentary majority of Georgian Dream overcame the president's veto and, with the support of 84 deputies, finally approved the restrictive law on independent media and non-governmental organizations, thereby halting Georgia's process of joining the European Union.
