Georgia: smear campaign against journalists by parliament presidency

Papuashvili's comments add to a wider wave of smear campaigns against independent media in Georgia. On 20 February 2024, Georgian media reported that Papuashvili had publicly discredited Gela Mtivlishvili, the editor of the online news site Mtis Ambebi , by questioning during an interview his credentials as a journalist, who was working on a natural disaster in the mountain resort of Shovi in August 2023, in which 33 people were killed. In a lengthy comment on the article, Papuashvili said the piece was "full of lies" and part of a "disinformation campaign." He also questioned the basis on which Mtivlishvili was selected for the The EU Prize for Journalism 2023 , awarded annually by the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), demanding to know the identity of the members of the jury who selected the winners. The comments reflect an attempt by the president to undermine trust in Mtis Ambebi, Gela Mtivlishvili and the broader independent media scene in Georgia.

This is not the first incident of this kind involving Papuashvili, who in September 2023 wrote a letter of complaint to some donors of the OC Media editorial team, in his eyes guilty of refusing to publish an opinion article he had written. Papuashvili described OC Media's decision on his letter as "an illustrative case of why and how self-styled 'critical media' in Georgia irreparably discredit themselves, losing public trust and ending up mostly talking to each other or with its own closed bubble". By reacting to him, Papuashvili discredited a legitimate media outlet and contributed to increasing distrust in the media.

The Georgia Media Advocacy Coalition expressed concern that disinformation and discredit campaigns against journalists are becoming "systematic ", even more so following Papuashvili's most recent comments. In January, the ruling Georgian Dream party responded to a public information request sent to parliament by journalist Tea Giligashvili by posting a copy of her letter on the party's Facebook page and questioning the legitimacy of her request. At the time, the Georgia Media Freedom Coalition denounced these actions, claiming that Georgian Dream "systematically uses [its] Facebook page to discredit political opponents, civil society organizations, critical media and journalists." In another incident, Vladimer Mgaloblishvili, member of parliament of the Ajara region, posted a similar letter sent to the local assembly by journalist Tedo Jorbenadze. In his discrediting post, Mgaloblishvili accused the journalist of "lying" and making no effort to hide his personal details. Local authorities later said they "did not recall" how the letter came into Mgaloblishvili's possession, the Media Freedom Coalition wrote.

MFRR partners called on the Georgian authorities to ensure that the country's media can function freely, without receiving derogatory or offensive comments from politicians, especially those in positions of power and who have a significant role in society.

Link to the full MFRR public statement (English)