Patriarchate sets regulations to ban entry of certain media at its events, briefings

The Georgian patriarchate said on Friday that it had set new regulations for domestic media outlets not to allow certain media representatives at its events or briefings to prevent incidents,  the head of the Public Relations Service of the Patriarchate of Georgia, Andria Jagmaidze, said. 

The cleric stated that the decision had been made following the incident in the yard of Svetitskhoveli cathedral in central Georgia on October 14, when a “journalist insulted a clergyman”, as well as other occasions on the territories of churches in western Georgia, when journalists had acted “in an improper manner”.  

“The Patriarchate operates within the framework of the Georgian legislation, and it informs the public and the media in advance about individual regulations. Each regulation will be aimed at ensuring that holy services are conducted in a proper manner. In addition to the fact that it is necessary for a journalist to occupy a place reserved for the media, if there is such a place, in some cases the Patriarchate will reserve the right to control the issue of attendance”, said Jagmaidze.

The representatives of the opposition-minded Mtavari channel have not been allowed to attend today’s briefing, as the patriarchate said, due to previous violation of rules.