Ruling party MP: UK sanctions will strengthen national unity

Rati Ionatamishvili from the ruling Georgian Dream party has suggested that the recent UK sanctions against Georgian broadcasters Imedi and POSTV revealed a broader crisis within the United Kingdom and European bureaucracy, and may ultimately strengthen national unity in Georgia.

Writing on social media on Wednesday, Ionatamishvili argued that attacks on free media from European bureaucrats will not silence independent voices but instead empower them.

“The sanctions against Imedi and POSTV show the existential crisis in the UK and European bureaucracy. The only result of such unjust decisions may be the further consolidation of Georgian society and the strengthening of our national spirit,” he said.

He added that those attempting to hide behind foreign powers while avoiding accountability at home will face consequences. “Those who shelter abroad and think they can achieve something by spying on their own country will be held accountable, as they have been in the past, and will be again - this time more painfully,” Ionatamishvili wrote.