Three TV channels condemn ruling party’s campaign, refuse to air controversial ads

Georgian television channels Formula, TV Pirveli, and Mtavari Arkhi have issued a joint statement, condemning the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party’s election banners, accusing the government of exploiting the Ukrainian people’s tragedy for political gain. The channels claim that the party is now pressuring them to broadcast the same controversial ads that are displayed on billboards across the country.

“Georgian Dream continues to speculate on the Ukrainian people’s tragedy to further its political campaign, and they are now demanding that we air these immoral ads, which they have already plastered on billboards across the streets,” the statement reads.

The broadcasters allege that the government, under the leadership of GD founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, is presenting them with an ultimatum: either air the video ads or face significant fines, which could threaten the operations of the media outlets.

“Despite the heavy burden of continuous fines imposed by the government on critical media, we refuse to support, even indirectly, Georgian Dream’s Russian propaganda and the mockery of the Ukrainian people. We fully agree with the European Union ambassador’s assessment that this campaign is ‘outrageous, shameful, and horrifying,’ and we will not air these ads,” the statement stressed.

The media outlets also called on the international community, Western diplomatic missions, civil society organizations, and the Public Defender to respond to Georgian Dream’s actions and support critical media in this principled matter, which they believe goes beyond political preferences and touches on national dignity.

In late September, new election banners from the Georgian Dream party appeared on the streets, which read “No to war! Choose peace!” The banners are split into two parts. On one side, they depict cities, buildings, and infrastructure destroyed by Russia in Ukraine, while the other side shows Georgian cities. The bombed Ukrainian cities are shown in black and white, whereas Georgia is represented in color.