Papuashvili's Accusation of Promoting Unlawful Protest Rebuked by Media and CSOs
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, February 3, 2025
Georgian Dream (GD) Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has accused the online media outlet Publika of promoting unlawful activity by sharing a statement from the organizers of a planned February 2 protest. Simultaneously, he criticized the European Union, which partially funds Publika. The media outlet defended its journalistic duty, while several civil society organizations (CSOs) condemned Papuashvili's remarks as an attack on press freedom, accusing him of attempting to intimidate journalists and incite hostility against them.
The pro-EU demonstration aims to block the main highway leading into Tbilisi. In a Facebook post on February 1, Papuashvili asserted that blocking a highway is a criminal offense and accused Publika of "advertising the commission of a criminal offense." He further stated that, as Publika is funded by the EU budget, "the EU Embassy, as the representative of Publika's financial sponsor, bears responsibility for the consequences of the planned action."
Two days earlier, on January 31, the GD government passed a decree adding "highways of state and international importance" to the list of strategic and specially important facilities, thereby criminalizing their blockage.
Publika's editorial team responded by emphasizing that their coverage of the protest was part of their journalistic responsibility to inform the public. They noted that their reports had also covered the government's recent decision to classify international highways as "strategic facilities" and the Ministry of Internal Affairs' (MIA) preventive statement regarding the protest.
"Shalva Papuashvili is attempting to exert pressure on our editorial independence, encouraging hostility and violence against us, as evidenced by the comments on his post. Papuashvili's statement is perceived as a threat by Publika employees," the outlet stated.
Several CSOs condemned Papuashvili's remarks as an attack on press freedom. The Social Justice Center (SJC) called his Facebook post "a clear attempt to pressure and intimidate the media," adding, "It is particularly unacceptable that he interferes in the content of critical media work. It is alarming that the ruling party perceives media coverage of protests as the promotion of crime, which is entirely contrary to the principles of free media and freedom of expression." SJC expressed solidarity with Publika and pledged to support them if necessary.
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics also rebuked Papuashvili, stressing that freedom of speech and expression is the cornerstone of democracy and that the media has a professional duty to impartially cover events. "Holding the media accountable for covering an event constitutes a blatant attempt to interfere with its editorial independence. Through his post, Shalva Papuashvili deliberately incited hostility toward independent online media," the organization stated. It called on Papuashvili to respect press freedom as guaranteed by the Georgian Constitution and international conventions and "cease the persecution and harassment of independent media."
