Six days of silence: UK Embassy mute following attack on independent media in Georgia

For the sixth consecutive day, the British Embassy in Georgia has remained silent regarding the attacks and the unsubstantiated and absurd accusations leveled against independent media outlets.

The First Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia explained that the decision - based on suspicions and assumptions - is legally unjustifiable as it constitutes an intrusion into the jurisdiction of another state.

According to Beka Dzamashvili, the television stations should have been informed before any decision was made by the UK.

He stated that the manner in which the United Kingdom launched this attack on Georgian media serves as an interference in the internal affairs of another state and damages media pluralism.

“We are talking about an intrusion into another country's jurisdiction and interference with media freedom. Such precedents are rare; one might say there is an attempt to establish such precedents now. The decision was made in a form that falls outside the legal framework, as it lacked judicial oversight. It was issued by a political body, and the published basis for the decision consists of only a few sentences. Even there, they virtually admit that the decision is not based on any evidence or facts, but rather on their own assumptions and suspicions”, Dzamashvili said.

As is known, the UK government introduced sanctions against the Georgian television companies Imedi and POSTV. This information was published on the official website of the British government.

Due to the British attack on free media, the British ambassador to Georgia was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He left the meeting without making a comment.

The Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maka Botchorishvili stated that during the 40-minute meeting, she did not hear a single argument that would justify the decision made by London.

Imedi TV also released a statement regarding the British attack.

“For Imedi TV, the only thing of value is the trust of the Georgian people. Thanks to this trust, we have the highest ratings in Georgia. Despite the attack based on cynical arguments and the artificially created hype, we want to tell our viewers that 'Imedi' will not face any problems, including financial ones”, the statement reads.