Regulator Finds Violation in Channels Questioning GD Legitimacy, But Doesn't Fine Them
found
two TV channels in violation of broadcasting law for using language that questioned the legitimacy of the ruling Georgian Dream government. The regulator, however, did not impose penalties.
The decision on complaints filed by the ruling Georgian Dream party against two critical TV channels, Formula TV and TV Pirveli, was announced on July 3, the channels reported, some two weeks after the review at ComCom on June 19. Under the new amendments introducing stricter content controls for broadcasters, sanctions on violations before June 1 — as was the case for two channels — are not subject to enforcement. The rulings, however, are feared to set dangerous precedents.
TV channels reported early in June about being
sued
by Georgian Dream with the ComCom over using in their coverage terms such as 'regime,' 'regime's prisoner,' 'illegitimate parliament,' and 'oligarch' in relation to the GD government and its officials, both on air and on social media.
The complaints were based on the amendments to the country's broadcasting law
adopted
in April, which granted the ComCom the authority to regulate media content and impose sanctions for violations, including for breaches of 'fairness and impartiality' principles. Georgian Dream claimed the new media laws were based on the 'British model.'
The GD argued in the complaints that journalists from critical broadcasters did not separate facts from personal opinions.
The review of complaints between ComCom and the channels' representatives took place online on June 19, amid protests at the ComCom building in Tbilisi in support of the broadcasters. During the hours-long review, ComCom Head Kakhi Bekauri thanked GD for filing the complaint and encouraged others to do the same. 'What we are witnessing now on TV under the new regulations… there are pretty many misdemeanors,' he said.
The amendments to Broadcasting Law come as part of a broader legislative crackdown on freedom of the press and freedom of expression, including through two foreign agents laws and stricter regulations on receiving foreign funding. Critics argue that the legislation is aimed at silencing, censoring, and eliminating Georgian independent TV channels.
The sanctions for content violations can range from verbal warnings to eventual revocation of the broadcasting license. The first such review, on complaints that don't foresee enforcement, 'aims to set some precedents,' Nodar Meladze of TV Pirveli said during the review on June 19.
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