Georgia’s fifth president Zourabichvili: “The last opposition channels may fall silent”

Salome Zourabichvili on media freedom

Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, told the Warsaw Security Forum that there are fears the country’s last opposition channels may be forced off air. She added that it was vital to support the fight against disinformation, calling it a battle against a common enemy.

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Salome Zourabichvili:

“There are concerns that the last opposition channels in Georgia will be silenced. The first targets have been regional journalists. For example, Mzia Amaghlobeli, a reporter who was arrested after slapping a policeman who had spat in her face.

She spent eight months in pre-trial detention and was then sentenced to two years in prison. She is one of the bravest journalists in the region. We desperately need such journalists to win information battles. Right now we cannot win, because all resources, NGOs and official media outlets are under constant attack. That is why we are forced to rely on social media, including TikTok.

We cannot win this fight alone. This is our common struggle. Only the European Union and European countries can develop real strategies to counter disinformation, which Russia has long deployed. It all began with Soviet propaganda. Let us not forget that Putin is not a military leader but a KGB chief. To deal with him, we must unite our efforts. This is our common struggle against a common enemy.”

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Salome Zourabichvili on media freedom