Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia considers the ongoing violent events on Rustaveli Avenue and near the office of the Shame Movement extremely disturbing. „By shifting responsibility onto the peaceful demonstrators, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili further exacerbated the already tense situation, after he described the March of Dignity as a cause for civil confrontation and said that "revanchist and radical" political forces were behind the Pride. The Public Defender once again reminds senior officials that the protection of freedom of peaceful expression and assembly, including by responding to counter-demonstrators' violent actions, is a constitutional obligation of the State and calls on the law enforcement agencies to use legal mechanisms to remove alleged offenders from public spaces“. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The European Court of Human Rights has started substantive review of complaints filed by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and EHRAC on behalf of journalists and demonstrators affected on June 20-21, 2019. “In particular, the court addressed the Government of Georgia, as the respondent state, with relevant questions regarding cases of Bagashvili and others v. Georgia as well as Kurdovanidze and others v. Georgia. Besides asking questions about violation of rights, the European Court satisfied a request of lawyers of GYLA and ordered the Government of Georgia to submit materials of the criminal case carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office in connection with dispersal of the June 20-21, 2019 rally”, - is stated on the website of GYLA. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC), based on the appeal of the Public Defender's Office, examined the programme aired by Alt Info Ltd and found that the programme seriously harmed both juvenile and adult viewers. According to the decision of the Commission, administrative responsibility was imposed on Alt Info Ltd for violating the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. Public Defender releases the statement on violence against the Mtavari TV’s journalists. “According to the reports spread on May 4, 2021, during the preparation of a TV story on the territory of the Davit-Gareji monastery complex, journalists of the Mtavari TV company were abused by the clergy and other persons. According to the journalists, their equipment was also damaged. The Public Defender’s Office condemns all forms of violence against representative of the media and emphasizes the vital role of a free and critical media environment for a democratic society, as well as its special role in promoting the respect for the rule of law and human rights in the country". Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) publishes a report: “Propaganda narratives on Facebook during the 2020 parliamentary elections”... “The report contains a review of an activity revealed on the basis of a study of Facebook sites spreading propaganda narratives on issues related to values and outlines both quantitative and qualitative findings. The report also includes a review of coordination of sites with election subjects, as well as an analysis of messages of sites disseminating propaganda narratives in line with political discourse and electoral processes”. Read more… Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. Visit the link to get familiarized with the Final Report on Social Media Monitoring for the 2020 Parliamentary Elections prepared by the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED). “The report contains an analysis of main trends that took place in the social media space in Georgia from September 1 through November 21, 2020. In particular, it provides description of activities of official sites of political parties and candidates, registered in the elections, those of official sites of local self-government bodies, as well as results of observation on unofficial, anonymous sites, operating with political purposes, and other important trends aimed at influencing the will of voters in one way or another. Read more... Source: www.isfed.ge

Tbilisi. According to information released by “Rights Georgia”, almost four years after the start of the investigation, a petition submitted by Archil Chopikashvili, a lawyer of the organization, has been satisfied and Afghan Mukhtarli, an Azerbaijani journalist, who was abducted by unidentified people in May 2017 in Tbilisi and handed over to the Government of Azerbaijan, has been granted the status of victim. Besides, the qualification of the case has been specified. Read more… Source: www.rights.ge

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition considers that the National Communications Commission once again goes beyond its authority. “We, Media Advocacy Coalition member organizations, consider that conducting an international audit of companies, measuring TV ratings, on the initiative and funding of the Communications Commission goes beyond the competence of the regulatory body and limits of the authority granted to it by law”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source:qartia.ge

Tbilisi. On April 9, 2021, information was spread about an assault on employees of Formula TV. In particular, according to the broadcaster, assaulters physically abused one of the employees of the TV channel and damaged another employee’s car. The victims link the attack to their activities in a critical media channel. The Public Defender condemns all forms of violence against representatives of the media and emphasizes the vital role of a free and critical media environment in a democratic society, as well as its special role in protecting the rule of law and human rights in the country. Read more…  Source: The web-page of the organization

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition responds to facts of attack on employees of a TV Company “Formula”. Media Advocacy Coalition member organizations call on high-ranking decision-makers, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Members of Parliament, and the Chairman of the Georgian Dream party to make open statements in support of media and to stop intensified attacks; take immediate preventive measures to ensure the safety of media representatives. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics responds to released information about restriction imposed by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on journalists, according to which they are not allowed to enter Namakhvani and carry out their activities there. “The Charter of Journalistic Ethics calls on the Government to refrain from hindering the movement of journalists and provide them with access to information. We urge law enforcement agencies to avoid interference in journalistic activities and ensure appropriate working conditions for media”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition member organizations consider it inadmissible to restrict access to the Internet in Namokhvani. “We would like to remind the government that access to the Internet and the right to free usage of the Internet is protected by the Constitution of Georgia. While on the background of high public interest in the ongoing protest rally in Namokhvani, it is unacceptable to restrict the constitutionally guaranteed right unjustifiably. According to the spread information, “the Ministry of Internal Affairs has jammed also the Internet connection in Namokhvani today, due to which fact it is impossible to stream live”.  As the local population state, such a failure of Internet transmission has not been observed in Namokhvani before.  We call on the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia to: Make a statement in regard to the fact of unlawful restriction of freedom of expression;  Take immediate measures to ensure access to the Internet so as to enable people in Namokhvani to exercise the right to receive and transmit information, while journalists have adequate working conditions for their professional activities. We urge the Communications Commission to investigate the Internet disruption in Namokhvani and provide us with information regarding currently existing indicators”, - is noted in the statement of the coalition. Read more…  Source: The website of the Coalition on a social network

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia has prepared a survey about which televisions were used by parties to place their political advertisements during the elections 2016-2020 years. “Political parties spend a considerable amount of money on TV political advertising during the pre-election period, which is a significant part of income of broadcasters. Within the framework of the present survey, we studied data related to TV political advertising carried out by political subjects during pre-election periods as part of 4 elections held in 2016-2020 years. In particular, we analyzed data submitted by political subjects to the Audit Office and the Central Election Commission. The practice of advertising by parties also shows the polarization that the Georgian political and media space is distinguished with”, - is stated in the introductory part of the survey. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. MDF Georgia published a new study “Infodemic in Georgia – 2020”. The study, which involves monitoring of traditional and social media in 2020, aims at identifying key messages and false information concerning the pandemic as well as mapping sources, including anti-vaxxer groups and channels of dissemination of information. Read more…  Source: The web-page of the organization

Tbilisi. The EU announced the winners of the 2020 EU Prize for Journalism. Winners were awarded in seven categories covering print, broadcast, online, photo and conflict-sensitive journalism. Check out the winner in the gallery below… Find out more about this years winners here... Source: eeas.europa.eu

Tbilisi. On March 12, the Goal.ge website disseminated information that Georgian NGOs, together with the Public Defender, demanded to disqualify Nikoloz Basilashvili from the Doha tournament. According to sources of Myth Detector, this information is unequivocally false. Read more… Source:www.mythdetector.ge

Tbilisi. “Rights Georgia” considers that the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court on seizure of the electronic data transfer device, delivered (sent) to “TV Pirveli” by a confidential source and mentioned in a Saturday Show of Nodar Meladze, contradicts legislation of Georgia and, respectively, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Read more… Source: rights.ge

Tbilisi. Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) responds to a March 9, 2021 ruling of the Tbilisi City Court, based on which there was issued a permission to carry out an investigative action – seizure aiming to obtain items transferred to “TV Pirveli” by a confidential source, while the Prosecutor’s Office was allowed to apply the proportional measure of coercion in case of resistance. “We consider that the recording, broadcasted by “TV Pirveli”, makes a significant contribution to the legitimate public debate that is particularly important for society, it is protected by freedom of speech and expression, while actions of the Prosecutor’s Office and the court ruling undermine the essence of media as a guardian of democracy as well as possibility of its free existence”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. Sector 3 would like to respond to a ruling by the Tbilisi City Court that allowed the prosecutor's office to remove materials provided by a confidential source to TV Pirveli using a proportionate coercion measure. “We believe that any step or action that creates the perception that freedom of speech and media independence are threatened must be taken with particular caution. We call on the authorities to act according to the law, be prudent, take into account the existing polarized environment, and be aware of the risks arising from the possible enforcement of the court order”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on a social network

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia considers that the court decision on the conduct of the measure of seizure at TV Pirveli is unsubstantiated and contradicts Georgian legislation and European human rights law. Ombudsman calls on the Prosecutor General's Office of Georgia not to take a step that would seriously undermine freedom of expression and journalistic activity. Read more… Source: www.ombudsman.ge