Media organizations, which maintain their editorial independence with funding from local and international funds, state that they will not permit the ruling Georgian Dream to adopt Russian law, whose primary aim is to stifle freedom of speech.
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At today's special briefing, online media editors presented a joint statement to the public:
"The government lied to us once again and returned the Russian law, which was thrown out a year ago as a result of intense public protests, before the elections.
The main goal of the Russian law is to destroy independent public and media organizations, suppress free speech, establish total control over public opinion, and disappear the media that constantly exposes the government's corruption, nepotism, poverty, violation of human rights, and failure to fulfill promises.
The law initiated by the Georgian Dream excludes our country from the European family and forecloses the Western future.
The Russian law has already destroyed independent media and public organizations in Russia, stifled critical opinion, imprisoned and killed Russian journalists and activists, and expelled those who remained alive. Society in Russia remains completely defenseless before the regime.
We will not allow the adoption of the Russian law; we will oppose it to the end. We, independent media, call on the Georgian Dream to stop the attack on freedom.”
The announcement is joined by: Mtis Ambebi, Publika, Netgazeti/Batumelebi, On.ge, Studio Monitor, Tabula, Project 64, Tok TV, OC Media, Journalism Resource Center, Charter of Journalistic Ethics.
The ruling party intends to pass the law on so-called foreign agents in all three readings by the end of the current session of parliament, which was rejected in March 2023 due to protests and international pressure. The text of the draft law will remain the same, with only "agent of foreign influence" being replaced by the term "organization carrying the interests of a foreign power." At today's briefing, the executive secretary of the ruling party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, noted that the draft law would not be considered in an accelerated manner and would not be withdrawn even in the event of a larger protest than last year. "No way. This is a matter of principle," said Mdinaradze. Until now, the leaders of Georgian Dream had declared that they would not return to the draft law and that this issue was closed. The honorary chairman of the party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, supports the re-initiation of the Russian law.
