GDI would like to address the coverage aired on the program “Imedi’s kvira” on the TV company “Imedi”. The coverage refers to the financing of GDI and other NGOs. We consider that by continuing the campaign by the ruling party, TV company “Imedi” and some other TV companies aim to discredit NGOs that are fighting for democratic values and Euro-Atlantic integration of Georgia. Their actions remind us of the path which the Russian Federation went through during the early years of Putin’s government and which initially led to the regulation of organizations fighting for freedom and then to their prohibition.
Clearly and openly chosen path by the ruling party against western partners, western values, and organizations protecting human rights in the country is alarming. It is clear that, after finally destroying checks and balances between the governmental branches, the “Georgian Dream” is trying to neutralize the oversight on the government exercised by those actors that are making an effort to support the democratization of the country in light of their principles, values, and qualifications and that are trying not to give the government opportunity to finally eliminate the perspective of the country’s development.
The led campaign by “Georgian Dream” of inventing the problem of financial non-transparency of civic society organizations and afterward preparing the grounds for repressions through TV companies acting in their interest is nothing but the effort aimed at not leaving anyone in Georgia who will speak about mistakes and crimes of “Georgian Dream” and its failed reforms. The actual dream of “Georgian Dream” and its representatives is zero accountability and a space where no one will criticize them. In light of the example of the Russian Federation and events unfolding around the world, society can very well imagine the swamp-like situation in countries where there is no control on the government exercised by civic society organizations and society in general and the actor in charge of governance is accountable not to the people but only to itself.
The several-week information campaign by the TV company “Imedi” is not aimed at creating or protecting some public good but only intends to discredit civic society organizations. It is unfortunate but still a fact that, though distorting information, they are purposefully attacking us as well as the idea that there should be strong mechanisms, in the form of civic society organizations, to control the already existing authoritarian regime in the country.
Even one example is sufficient to illustrate and realize the intentional distortion of information and effort to manipulate public opinion by the TV company “Imedi”. While speaking about one of the projects of GDI titled “Get to Know Your Judges”, the TV host of one of the programs, Irakli Chikladze, said (before the start of the coverage) that the organization received 230 000 Dollars for the implementation of this project whereas our website clearly states that this amount is in Georgian Lari and not US Dollars. Thus, it is clear what objective the TV company has while acting in the government’s interests.
In light of the above, GDI is not going to communicate with the TV company in any form or cooperate in the preparation of TV coverages on these matters. We will not participate neither intentionally nor unintentionally in the campaign the agenda of which is purposeful discreditation planned in advance and which provides to the public even the information published by us in a distorted way.
We call on international partners and society to realistically assess the threat facing civic society organizations in light of this campaign led by “Georgian Dream” in this country and to consider it as the path of Putin’s Russia, which Putin took against civic society organizations.
