Georgia urges UK to sanction BBC over "politicized" reporting

Georgia has urged the United Kingdom to consider imposing sanctions on the BBC, arguing that once regarded as a trusted news organization, the broadcaster now functions in a way that reflects political biases rather than objective reporting.

The statement was made by Mamuka Pipia, International Secretary of the Solidarity for Peace Party, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

To note, the UK government has imposed sanctions on two pro-government television channels in Georgia, accusing them of spreading deliberately misleading information about Russia's war in Ukraine.

The sanctions against Imedi and Postv form part of a new British package targeting 297 entities, introduced to mark the fourth anniversary of Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Sir Keir Starmer’s government accused the channels of promoting false narratives about the war, including those that destabilise Ukraine or threaten its territorial integrity.

It stated Imedi in particular had spread falsehoods casting Ukraine's government as "illegitimate" or a "puppet" of the West.

Imedi described the sanctions as "worthless" and said it would continue to serve the Georgian people. Postv founder Shalva Ramishvili condemned the decision in a Facebook post and suggested London had acted "because we're not saying that Ukraine is beating Russia."

By Vafa Guliyeva