Georgia's opposition TV channel to challenge $ 35,000 fine for portraying authorities as Putin
Mtavari Arkhi TV channel portrayed Georgian authorities as President Putin
Georgia’s leading opposition Mtavari TV channel will challenge the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) decision to fine it with GEL 112,000 [about $ 35,000] “for breaking the law and airing political ads during the pre-election period”.
The channel showed a video produced by Shame, Georgian non-governmental organization, in which photographs of the country’s leading officials and deputies from the ruling party jointly form a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Shame organization stated that by creating this video they express their protest against the changed foreign course of the country and the pro-Russian policy of the authorities.
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Mtavari TV channel stated that it is the first time that the commision issued a fine of this size to a TV broadcaster. Director General of the channel Nika Gvaramia believes that “this is a censorship and an attempt by the authorities to close Mtavari”.
Gvaramia promised that in the near future the channel will release a video clip entitled “Meet the executioners of freedom of speech and personal censors of Bidzina Ivanishvili [Bidzina Ivanishvili – billionaire, oligarch, founder of the ruling party]”.
