Opposition channels in Georgia threatened with fines for refusing to run ruling party ads

On September 26, Georgia's ruling party presented a series of election posters and a video calling on voters to “choose peace” and say “no to war.”

They contrast images of Ukrainian cities destroyed by Russian troops with images of churches, parks, and new buses in Georgia.

However, the opposition TV channels Formula, Mtavari, and TV Pirveli refused to air the scandalous election ads of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“The Ivanishvili-owned authorities are putting us in a dilemma - either we air the above-mentioned videos or we are subject to huge fines that could lead to the threat of the channels' suspension,” the TV companies said in a joint statement.

The TV companies consider the videos to be “Russian propaganda” and “humiliation of the Ukrainian people.” They supported the position of the EU ambassador to Georgia, who called the ruling party's ads “outrageous, shameful and disgusting.”

Formula, Mtavari, and TV Pirveli are asking for support from human rights organizations and diplomatic missions of Western countries.

According to the law, a month before the elections, Georgian TV channels are obliged to provide free advertising time to all parties represented in the parliament. At least 7.5 minutes are allocated for this purpose during every 3 hours of broadcasting.

This is not the first time channels have been fined. In September, Formula, Mtavari, and TV Pirveli were fined for refusing to air another provocative Georgian Dream advertisement.

At the time, it was a video with the slogan “Say no to the moral degeneration of society” against the backdrop of images of Georgian activists and representatives of civil society.

Last year, a wave of protests took place in Georgia.