The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics has strongly condemned the Public Broadcaster’s decision to impose disciplinary measures on several employees, calling it an attack on critical voices and an act of retaliation against dissenting staff.
The Charter denounced the dismissal of Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani and Nino Zautashvili, as well as disciplinary sanctions imposed on Ioseb Katsitadze, Tamar Mshvenieradze, Kakha Melikidze, and Irma Chubinidze, framing the move as “persecution for critical thinking.”
“The Public Broadcaster’s management used an opaque disciplinary investigation as a tool to silence criticism and intimidate employees,” the Charter said in its statement. “Earlier, the Board of Trustees accused critical staff—without any evidence—of acting in coordination to seize control of the broadcaster and even called on the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate their actions.”
For months, a segment of the broadcaster’s employees has been protesting what they describe as the channel’s clear pro-government bias and blatant interference in editorial policy—particularly from the Chairman of the Board, Vasil Maglaperidze. Staff have raised concerns over underreporting of pro-European protests and the broadcaster’s failure to cover incidents of police violence against journalists, including attacks on their own colleagues and on Zviad Koridze, a journalist and Transparency International Georgia staff member.
The Charter holds both Board Chairman Vasil Maglaperidze and Director Tinatin Berdzenishvili fully responsible for the situation, accusing them of leading a repressive campaign against independent journalism.
“A public broadcaster must serve the people and reflect the diversity of views in society,” the statement said. “Instead, the Board and management have transformed the station into a partisan platform, a source of disinformation and propaganda.”
The Charter noted that citizens, civil society representatives, and professional groups have been gathering daily outside the broadcaster’s headquarters, urging it to fulfill its public mission. Among the voices supporting these calls were recently dismissed journalists Ivanov-Chikovani and Zautashvili.
