Three opposition media outlets refuse to air the ruling party’s political ad, that juxtapose war-torn Ukraine with the peace Georgian Dream offers. The particular media outlets are the opposition-leaning Mtavari TV, Formula TV, and TV Pirveli, which face heavy fines for not airing the ad.
“The Ivanishvili-controlled government is putting us in a dilemma – either we broadcast these videos or face heavy fines, which could lead to the suspension of our channels’ operations,” said the joint statement of Mtavari TV, Formula TV and TV Pirveli, issued on October 5 accusing the GD of exploiting the tragedy of the Ukrainian people for its political campaign.
The GD’s controversial banners, now adapted into video clips, are modeled on the same principle: on one side are the images of war-torn Ukraine with the crossed electoral numbers of four opposition parties likely to enter Parliament – Coalition for Change (4), Unity-UNM (5), Strong Georgia (9), and Gakharia’s For Georgia (25) – as if they are associated with war, and on the other side are the images of Georgia, emphasizing that it is at peace under GD rule, with the GD’s number (41) highlighted. The banners were spread all over the capital. Now they have been used for the video clips that the GD wants the media to broadcast. Pro-government TV channels – Imedi, POSTV and Rustavi 2 – as well as the Georgian Public Broadcaster aired the ad, while three opposition-leaning media outlets refused to do so.
“Despite the heavy burden of endless fines imposed by the authorities on critical channels, we have no intention of supporting, even indirectly, the Russian propaganda of the Georgian Dream or the mockery of the Ukrainian people,” the statement by three opposition-leaning media said, calling on the international community, Western diplomatic missions in Georgia, civil society and the Public Defender to respond “appropriately” to GD’s actions and support critical media over this case, which they say “transcends political tastes” and is “a matter of national dignity.”
The GD’s banners were condemned by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which said it was “unacceptable” to use the horrific consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine for campaign purposes. The European Union Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, also slammed the banners, calling them “outrageous,” “shameful,” and “disgusting.”
The Media Advocacy Coalition, a local CSO, also denounced the GD’s anti-Ukrainian propaganda, saying the GD “exploits the tragedy of the Ukrainian people for political gain” and expressed solidarity with the specific media outlets targeted for not airing the ad. The organization stated that the action of the ruling party in demanding that media outlets air such an ad is “a significant infringement on media freedom and ethical journalism.” It also noted that the threat of heavy fines is a “concerning tactic” to coerce the media into adopting and promoting a narrative that is fundamentally incompatible with democratic and human rights principles. The organization added: “The intense pressure on the media reflects an alarming trend of growing authoritarianism and a neglect of democratic values in Georgia.”
The opposition media’s refusal to broadcast the GD’s ad was also supported by the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics. The Charter called on the Communications Commission not to require media outlets to air the ruling party’s campaign video, which as per the Charter, “echoes the Kremlin’s messages, insults the dignity of the Ukrainian and Georgian peoples, and undermines the historic friendship between the two nations.” The Charter also noted that the anti-Ukrainian banners scattered throughout the city had “inflicted pain on the Ukrainian people and provoked the just indignation of Georgian society.”
Another watchdog, Transparency International – Georgia, also backed the critical outlets. “This is not the first time that the ruling party is resorting to extremely unacceptable tricks and inciting violence against a particular group,” TI-Georgia said in its October 6 statement. It also called on the Communications Commission not to hinder the functioning of the media and not to support the ruling party’s propaganda.
On October 6, another the local CSO Mediaombudsman published the first interim report on the activities of the Communications Commission. According to the report, “the ruling Georgian Dream party is the initiator of lawsuits and demands to punish the media under the pretext of violation of electoral legislation.” The report notes that both the Communications Commission and the Court have become tools in the hands of the GD to target the critical media.
Critical media have become a particular target of the government in the run-up to the elections, as the mentioned three opposition-leaning outlets have already been fined for not airing another GD ad. It showed photos of civil society representatives (who are not political subjects) against the background of the phrase “Say no to the moral degradation of society”. The watchdog assessed the fines against the media as “unfair”, as they were obliged to air the ad portraying non-electoral persons in an “extremely unethical, unfair and misleading context.” Each was fined GEL 5000 (about USD 1830).
The Communications Commission has not yet decided on any fines in this new case against the media for GD’s anti-Ukrainian ad.