“Back to Soviet Union” - Georgian Parliament official slams European Parliament and Moldova over media restrictions

Irakli Kadagishvili, the chair of the Georgian Parliament’s regional policy and self-government committee, on Thursday sharply criticised recent decisions by the European Parliament and Moldovan authorities regarding Georgian broadcasters, describing the developments as “a return to the Soviet Union”.

In his remarks, Kadagishvili noted that neither the European Parliament nor Moldova had any legal arguments against the Georgian media broadcasters, and therefore “the move can only be viewed as an attack on democracy and freedom of speech”.

“The goal is one thing only - to ensure that people’s thinking and political attitudes are shaped exclusively through so-called politically correct media. In other words, this is a modern-day version of what, during the Soviet Union, was simply called Soviet ideology, which was meant to dictate the line for all media outlets. Europe is moving backward - toward the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, this is the reality we face regarding freedom of speech”, he said.

The European Parliament has suspended the activities of Georgian television channel Imedi TV for one year. Meanwhile, Moldovan authorities denied accreditation to three Georgian broadcasters - Imedi TV, Rustavi 2, and POSTV - without providing an official explanation.