Tbilisi stands behind TV channels hit by British sanctions

The Georgian government has vowed to defend the rights of two television channels that have been targeted by sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze emphasized that the sanctions do not warrant extensive comment but reflected broader issues within European bureaucracy, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

“These sanctions do not require much comment. It is simply tragic, the situation that has developed today in European bureaucracy,” Kobakhidze said. 

“The rights of every journalist will be fully protected. No journalist in Georgia will have their work restricted, despite what some may have hoped,” he added.

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.

By Vafa Guliyeva