Georgia media freedom at risk – Human Rights Watch

The ownership dispute over Georgia’s most-watched television broadcaster, Rustavi 2, has sparked serious concerns about potential government interference with both media and the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said in a special statement headlined “Georgia: Media Freedom at Risk”.

It said Rustavi 2’s current leadership, the political opposition, and many independent groups saw the lawsuit by the TV’s former owner seeking to retake ownership as a government-orchestrated move to take over the opposition-minded station.

“The entire process of contesting Rustavi 2’s ownership threatens media freedom and judicial independence and demands further scrutiny,” said Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director at Human Rights Watch. “A government-favored change in the editorial policy of Rustavi 2 would deliver a serious blow to Georgia’s media pluralism and could significantly limit the public’s access to opposition views.”

As a possible sign of a deteriorating media landscape, HRW pointed at the suspension of political talk shows on Imedi, the second most popular TV in Georgia, and on the Public Broadcaster.