Tbilisi: The Communication Commission of Georgia found the opposition channels guilty of violating the election code. These channels include the left-leaning Mtavari TV, TV Pirveli and Formula.
The ruling party filed a complaint against these channels for violating the Georgian code of conduct. Now the communication commission has upheld the complaints.
The communication commission after taking notice of the violation has also issued some strict guidelines for these channels. As per the complaints of the Georgian Dream these channels had refused to broadcast their political advertisements illegally.
As per the press statement issued by the communication commission “in the reply these channels mentioned that the reason behind the refusal was unethical content of the advertisement. Moreover some content also contains in these advertisements promote the anti-national agenda.”
The ruling party GD’s latest advertisement includes banners depicting images of war-torn Ukraine and how the Georgian Dream is making efforts for peace in Georgia.
The poster shows damages caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine on one side and images of a peaceful Georgia on the other. The more disturbing fact is that the slogan on the poster is also objectionable which reads as “Say no to war—Choose peace” as opposition parties and these TV channels have alleged.
The Communication Commission in its order underlined the Supreme Court’s ruling. As per CommCom the guidelines of the Georgian Supreme Court ban any advertisement that encourages the war of violence in any form.
The commission further added that in the present case the logic of these TV channels does not come under the guidelines of the Supreme Court, so the decision of channels not to broadcast advertisements is a violation of the code.
In its conclusion, CommCom said that nothing in the advertisement shows the anti-Georgia propaganda of the Georgian Dream. So if these TV channels still refuse to broadcast the advertisement of the Georgian Dream’s adversity, then this is a clear violation of the Georgian code of law.
