Tbilisi. Myth Detector shares the blogpost: How was Putin’s decision to lift ban on airline flights with Georgia covered in the Russian Media? “On May 10, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued two decrees; one revoked the 2019 decision to ban direct flights to Georgia, and the other allowed Georgian citizens to enter the Russian Federation without a visa for 90 days. The decision was actively covered in the Russian media. Kremlin propaganda journalists, politicians and representatives of the tourism sector welcomed Putin’s decision, while Russian news agencies, quoting Petre Mamrade, the head of “The Strategic Institute of Management” and Lali Moroshkina, the host at “Radio Imedi,” announced that Putin’s decision was welcomed by the Georgian people as well”. Read more… Source: mythdetector.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia has studied the guilty verdict delivered against Nika Gvaramia, a former director of Rustavi 2 TV company and the founder of Mtavari Arkhi, on May 16, 2022, which fails to meet the criteria of lawfulness, substantiation and fairness. “Judge Lasha Chkhikvadze of the Tbilisi City Court found Nika Gvaramia guilty of abuse of powers (on two counts) under Article 220 of the Criminal Code of Georgia and sentenced him to three years and six months of imprisonment. Considering the neglect of legitimate questions regarding the impartiality and objectivity of the judge, poor legal reasoning in determining the guilt and sentencing of Nika Gvaramia, dearth of systemic analysis of facts presented in the form of evidence and lack of use of corresponding court practice, legal literature or academic materials, we can conclude that the decision delivered against Nika Gvaramia is unsubstantiated”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The proposed 'foreign agent law' in Georgia poses a significant threat to freedom of speech and democracy and Georgia's future with the Euro-Atlantic aspiration. “We strongly urge the Parliament to withdraw this law!” Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition appeals to the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr. Shalva Papuashvili, to immediately restore the accreditation of journalists in the Parliament, to ensure an unhindered and safe working environment for media representatives in the legislative body, to protect their freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution, especially during the upcoming discussions of the Russian law scheduled for this week. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

CSS appeals to its co-founder, Deputy Head of the Foreign Relations Committee, George Khelashvili to vote against the law that will deeply harms the activities of the organization (similar to other NGOs) he established and thrived for its development for years! Read more… Source: css.ge

Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs releases the statement and mentions that, the initiated draft law “On transparency of foreign influence” is defining CSOs as “foreign agents”. The draft law is against the Georgian people’s steadfast European aspirations and International Human Rights obligations. It will negatively affect Norwegian-Georgian cooperation.  Norway MFA urges lawmakers to act in the interest of democracy. Learn more… Source: twitter.com

Tbilisi. The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) believes that the draft laws, especially the one registered on February 27, grossly violate freedoms of expression and association guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia. Also, it contradicts the practice established by the Constitutional Court of Georgia regarding the “legitimacy test” of the restriction of rights. “…While there are many challenges in the country and Georgia is preparing to receive the status of a candidate for EU membership, it is not clear which point of the EU’s 12-point plan requires the adoption of a law on transparency of foreign influence, especially since there is actually nothing about it in the explanatory notes. The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) emphasizes that European Integration is a strong will of the citizens of our country and the Parliament of Georgia, within its competence, should do everything for it.  At the same time, the priority of population, according to numerous social surveys, is solving acute labour and social problems, which is also an important part of the European integration. The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) calls on the Parliament not to support the draft law on “agents of foreign influence” and to continue working to fulfill the EU’s 12-point plan!” Read more… Source: gtuc.ge

Tbilisi. Commissioner urges the Georgian Parliament to reject the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence”. “While transparency may represent a legitimate concern, it should not be achieved to the detriment of the effective enjoyment by non-commercial organisations and media outlets of their rights and freedoms and of the exercise of their legitimate activities. Reporting requirements should be set up on an equal and non-biased basis regardless of the sources of income. Any interference in this field must respect the principles of necessity and proportionality as established by the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.” Commissioner’s letter in English… Source: www.coe.int

Tbilisi. Comparative analysis of the draft Law of Georgia on Transparency of Foreign Influence (the Draft Law) regarding its compliance with international law and European standards (Analysis).  The analysis was prepared by the International Center of Non-Profit Law (ICNL) and European Center for Non-Profit Law (ECNL). Brief version is available here – ICNL-Briefer-of-the-Georgian-Draft-Law-on-Transparency-of-Foreign-Influence Full analysis... Source: ewmi-activism.org

Tbilisi. The petition “Russian law is not the will of Georgia” was published on the web-pages of Media and Civil Society Organizations. “We, the people of Georgia, strongly oppose the bill initiated by the members of the Parliamentary Majority, also endorsed by the Speaker of Parliament and other MPs. We declare that the attempts to adopt this Russian bill attack not only the independent civil society organizations and the critical media, but the people of Georgia themselves. This bill aims to leave defenseless the abused children and women; people with disabilities, minorities, scientists, workers, and the youth; to not provide assistance to the socially vulnerable families, farmers, miners, internally displaced, homeless, illegally laid off, detained, and other people fighting for their rights; to mute the voice of the people living in the peripheries of the country that can only communicate their troubles through the independent media. This draft legislation acts as a response to the numerous facts of violence, corruption, lawlessness, and arbitrary execution of the laws that we, the civil society and the critical media, study and make public. When Putin adopted a similar law in Russia, many organizations chose to disband rather than comply with its requirements. Those that continued to operate faced increased control, harassment, and repressions. This is not the type of governance that we have fought for many years to achieve, and Russian law is certainly not the type of governance that Georgian citizens aspire to have in our country. Adopting this bill will amount to an attack on the key Georgian values of dignity, independence and solidarity with our communities and fellow people. Adopting this bill will amount to an onslaught not only against civil society and our democracy but will also damage our aspirations of Euro-Atlantic development. This law will obstruct our path to membership of the EU as this law was found illegal in the EU. Moreover, the execution of this law will be impossible without causing insurmountable harm to hundreds of thousands of citizens of Georgia”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender’s Office is echoing the draft law of Georgia "On transparency of foreign influence" and considers that the proposed document does not comply with international or domestic human rights standards and is incompatible with the basic principles of a modern democratic state. “Special attention should be paid to the fact that the bill creates the basis for the collection and publication of a large amount of personal data on persons considered to be "agents of foreign influence" or those in varying relationships with such persons. In addition to potentially imposing an unjustified organizational burden on organizations and detracting them from their core activities,it may contravene the right to privacy by creating the possibility of processing and disclosing the personal data of any individual who has any form of employment or service contractual relationship with these organizations. It should be noted that ensuring the transparency of the activities of associations constitutes an important legitimate aim and pertinent legal regulation for achieving this goal, as well as the tool for collecting, analyzing and reporting information on foreign aid (eAIMS), is not unknown to Georgia as well. However, in order for the proposed interference with human rights to be considered justified, it must be necessary due to "pressing social need" and at the same time, the restrictive measures and accompanying procedures must not be disproportionate, which, according to the assessment of the Public Defender's Office, is not met by the draft law”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. GDI submitted a report on the media environment in Georgia to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression. In particular, the report reviews the problems hindering the free environment for the media and the achievement of sustainable development goals, especially goal N16. The report highlights the growing tendency of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) in the form of defamation lawsuits, which are initiated by government representatives or persons associated with the government against the critical media. It is noteworthy that, so far, there have been about 32 SLAPP cases that are aimed at discrediting the critical media and preventing them from expressing critical opinions. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. EU awarded the winners of the EU Prize for Journalism 2022. Meet them and read their entries: Nino Narimanishvili, JAMnews, in the category of Best story in print or online media Ani Arveladze, “Droeba” Formula TV, in the category of Best feature story in broadcast or online media Nino Ramishvili, Studio Monitor, Best investigative story/Feature in print, online, or broadcast media Besik Papaskua, Indigo, in the category of Best blog, opinion or column in print or online media Kristine Gogaladze, Indigo, in the category of Best Student Work in print, online or broadcast media Lela Kunchulia, Radio Liberty, in the category of EUMM special prize for peace journalism Tornike Metreveli, Indigo, in the category of most innovative and original piece of work in print, broadcast or online media Dina Oganova, Project 64, in the category of best documentary photo reflecting EU values Read more… Source: eu4georgia.eu

Tbilisi. Congratulations to EU Prize for Journalism nominees in the category of “Best documentary photo reflecting EU values”. Meet them and see their entries here: Dato Koridze, Radio Liberty... Dina Oganova, Project 64... Mariam Nikuradze, OC Media... Stay tuned on our Facebook page to see the winners of 2022. Read more… Source: EU’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The nominees in the category of “Best blog, opinion or column in print or online media” for the EU Prize for Journalism have been revealed! Meet the finalists and read their entries here: Besik Papaskua, Indigo... Jimsher Rekhviashvili, Radio Liberty... Khatia Tordua, NEXT.On.ge... Source: EU’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition responds to the verdict ruled by the Tbilisi Court of Appeal on January 16, 2023, according to which those convicted of committing organized group violence on media representatives on July 5, 2021, were acquitted, and the sentence imposed by the Court of First Instance was reduced. The verdict represents another step taken against journalists, freedom of expression, and democratic processes. The Media Advocacy Coalition once again calls on the authorities to ensure the effective protection of journalists' rights, including holding accountable the organizers and participants of the July 5, 2021 group attack on the media. Read more…  Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Since Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Georgia’s application for EU membership and the Commission’s decision regarding the candidate status, anti-Western messages have particularly strengthened in Georgia. Along with pro-Russian and ultra-right groups, members of the parliamentary majority are no longer shying away from attacks on the country's Western partners. Four deputies who left the ruling party in June 2022 founded the public movement "People's Power", which is distinguished with anti-Western messages. The “Georgian Dream’s” improper dissent of former members’ anti-Western statements and, in some cases, the concurrence of messages, raised doubts in public about the formal nature of the movement's separation from the ruling party. In order to study the statements of "People's Power" and the government representatives’ responses to them, ISFED analyzed political posts published on the Facebook pages of the television companies of PosTV and Imedi as the main communication channels of the mentioned actors. The results of the research… Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. Institute for Development of Freedom of Information publishes the research: Access to Public Information by the Media: Legislation v. Reality. “It was revealed during the course of the project that there are practical-normative problems of a systemic nature in terms of obtaining information on issues of interest to the media. Ignoring both formal and material requirements of the legislation regulating freedom of information is a regular occurrence. The number of public institutions that attempt to comply with the requirements of the legislation as much as possible is exceptionally low. There is about a 12% probability that information on issues of interest to the media will be provided fully and within the timeframe stipulated in the law. The degree of arbitrariness in public institutions is high. This may be due to the lack of effective judicial or external administrative control. In some cases, it appears that complete ignorance of public information requests is a proven practice of a public institution. The effectiveness of judicial oversight is significantly reduced by the length of timeframes stipulated by law for the consideration of a case, as well as by the courts’ disregard of these terms. The systemic problems discussed above essentially worsen the quality of access to public information on matters of media interest. On a practical level, there is no expectation that the media will be able to obtain information on an issue of its interest within the timeframe stipulated by the law. The cases of compliance with the requirements of the legislation regulating freedom of information by a public institution are exceptional”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Representatives of the Media Companies and Civil Society Organizations appeal to Mr. Charles Michel, President of the European Council. “On November 2, 2022, the Court of Appeals of Georgia upheld the conviction of Nika Gvaramia, founder and General Director of an independent TV channel Mtavari. It is our strong belief that this is a politically motivated case and charges against him are groundless, as it has been stipulated in the independent opinion presented to the Court by the Public Defender of Georgia and non-governmental organizations. Against the backdrop of grave challenges in judiciary and the Georgian Dream’s aggressive policy against critical media, we do not expect Nika Gvaramia's rights to be defended in the Supreme Court of Georgia. We see Presidential pardon as the only remedy to end his unjust imprisonment. Several political and public groups have already addressed the President of Georgia with the request to pardon Nika Gvaramia. President Michel, you are a staunch supporter of Georgia's democratic development, and we sincerely hope that your call on President Salome Zourabichvili could encourage her to take this step, pardon the General Director of a critical broadcaster and a political prisoner. This would be not only a humane act, but also a significant action for the benefit of our country. President Michel, we are confident that your engagement will be a major contribution to the freedom of the media in Georgia; moreover, it will empower Georgian people in their unequivocal aspirations towards Europe”, is noted in the joint statement. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On October 24-26, Europe Foundation held a training on investigative reporting and digital security for media professionals. For three days, the participants worked on techniques for effective sourcing and interviewing, strategies for protecting sources, ways to search for documents and data outside Georgia, finding information online and through social media, secure communication. The event also hosted a discussion around the issues in investigative journalism and security. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On November 2, 2022, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal delivered the verdict in the case of Nika Gvaramia, the former director of the "Rustavi 2" TV company, currently the founder and general director of Mtavari Aharki, upholding Gvaramia’s imprisonment. “The verdict delivered today by the Court of Appeals contradicts European Commission’s requirements for the candidacy status for Georgia, in particular, requirements for pluralistic media environment and an independent and impartial judiciary [4] The case of Nika Gvaramia was included in the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on the freedom of the media and safety of journalists in Georgia.[5] This decision of the court further distanced Georgia from the EU candidacy status and made the European future of our country even more vague. Given the current critical situation, we once again call on the President of Georgia to pardon Nika Gvaramia and play a positive role in the process of Georgia’s integration into the European Union”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On November 2, the judges of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, Merab Jorbenadze, Lavrenti Maghlakelidze and David Mamiseishvili found Nika Gvaramia, the former director of "Rustavi 2" and the founder of "TV Mtavari", guilty of abuse of power (two episodes - the so-called commercial airtime sale and the so-called vehicle episode). As a final sanction, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment. “The efforts made by international partners over the years to strengthen the judicial system have been significantly damaged by the actions of the members of the clan. Politically motivated cases are one of the indicators of challenges to judicial independence. Similar cases cast a shadow on the judiciary, including impartial judges. Accordingly, we believe that in the future spending the partners’ resources on judges, who in the past have violated human rights, won't have a positive impact on the development of the judiciary”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge