MPs Khatuna Samnidze, Tamar Kordzaia and Teona Akubardia express a joint statement. “The Parliament of Georgia, based on the Decree of the Speaker, has terminated the accreditation to the journalists of the TV Company “Formula”, “TV 1” and “Mtavari Arkhi”.

We call on the Speaker to adhere to the principles of democracy, take into consideration that the Members of Parliament carry the duty of publicity, and annul his Decree that poses a threat to the fundamental principles of democracy and hinders the realization of the media activity, boosting the censorship thereon by the state agencies. Countering dissent and free speech has become a typical style of the Georgian Dream. The accreditation regulations established by the Speaker constitute censorship and aim at gross interference in the context of the material developed by the journalists.

The Act issued by the Secretary General of the Parliament fails to provide the context of the inquiry, if such, which in aggregation triggers the sense that the decision made deliberately aims to discredit the critical media outlets and impede the fulfillment of their official duties”.