HRW: Numerous threats and attacks have been made against media workers in Georgia
Numerous threats and attacks were made against media workers. By October, the Special Investigation Service received 37 complaints and started 12 investigations into the fact of malicious interference in journalistic activity, - it is mentioned in the report of the organization Human Rights Watch, which also mentions Georgia.
The report talks about the attack on Misha Mshvildadze, the founder of "Formula" TV company, and also the pardoning of Nika Gvaramia, the director of "Mtavari Arkhi" TV company, by President Salome Zurabishvili.
In addition, the Human Rights Watch report also refers to the accreditation procedure adopted by the Parliament.
"In February, parliament passed new, restrictive regulations on media accreditation that, among other things, allow authorities to ban journalists from asking questions of MPs in parliament if they refuse to be interviewed. Officials cited media harassment of MPs to justify the changes. The Public Defender's Office criticized the rules for restricting media freedom and lacking an effective appeals mechanism. After the adoption of the rule, the Parliament suspended the accreditation of 9 journalists and operators of leading critical media outlets. According to the journalists, this happened because of their critical questions," the report states.The report also talks about making changes to the Georgian Law on "Broadcasting".
"In October, Parliament fast-tracked controversial amendments that expand Georgia's National Communications Commission's authority to prosecute broadcast 'content' that contains obscenity, hate speech or terrorism. The amendments empower the commission to impose sanctions, including the imposition of hefty fines and the suspension of broadcasting authorizations for media outlets. Previously, the commission could only take such action in response to complaints. "Georgian human rights groups have condemned the changes, saying they create serious risks of censorship and arbitrary interference in the work of broadcasters who criticize the government," the Human Rights Watch report noted.
