Imedi TV owner says freedom of speech was crushed in Georgia to enable political repression under former UNM Gov't

Irakli Rukhadze, the owner of Imedi TV, a prominent Georgian television channel, on Wednesday made a striking statement, claiming that freedom of speech was entirely suppressed in Georgia to pave the way for political authoritarianism under the former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Rukhadze drew a direct link between the silencing of independent media and the ability of a government to commit unlawful acts, specifically referencing the actions of Mikheil Saakashvili.

“In Georgia, freedom of speech was completely destroyed. This is essential in order to do whatever you want in the country afterward. To establish total lawlessness like what Saakashvili did, the first step is to eliminate free speech”, Rukhadze said.

Rukhadze specifically referred to the events during Saakashvili’s presidency, asserting that the closure of Imedi TV was a deliberate act to silence dissenting voices and facilitate unchecked government actions.

“If Saakashvili had not shut down Imedi, he would not have been able to accomplish what he later did - what happened in August 2008, what happened on May 26, and everything else. The government can only do these things if it has complete control over the media. Without full media control, I’m convinced none of it would have been possible”, he concluded.

Rukhadze is testifying before a temporary investigative commission of the Georgian Parliament, addressing allegations of pressure on businesses, suppression of media and freedom of expression, and other human rights violations during the former United National Movement Government.

The central focus of his testimony is the raid on Imedi TV in 2007.

On the evening of November 7, 2007, special forces stormed the premises of Imedi TV, abruptly halting its broadcast. Armed and masked security officers entered the building, forced employees to the ground, and vandalized the station’s equipment.

This operation followed a series of inflammatory statements by high-ranking officials of the time.

The raid was followed by a months-long broadcasting shutdown. The station remained under state control until October 2012, when it was finally returned to the family of its founder, Badri Patarkatsishvili, following the end of Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidency.

The Imedi case remains one of the most emblematic examples cited in discussions of media freedom violations in Georgia.