Georgian parliament speaker accuses UK embassy of “crocodile tears”

Tensions have escalated between Georgian officials and Western diplomats after the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament sharply criticised the British Embassy over concerns about press freedom in the country.

Shalva Papuashvili responded strongly to a joint statement issued by the UK and Finland, which highlighted what they described as “alarming trends” in Georgia’s media environment, Caliber.Az reports via Georgian media. 

In remarks posted on social media, Papuashvili accused the British Embassy of hypocrisy, stating that when reading its statement, “filled with false pathos, from an embassy that has been trying for two months to destroy two leading Georgian media outlets, there is only one conclusion: crocodile tears.”

The UK and Finland referenced recent findings by the organisation Reporters Without Borders, which showed Georgia falling sharply in global press freedom rankings—from 77th place in 2022 to 135th in 2026.

By Sabina Mammadli