Communications Commission Fines TV Pirveli 5,000 GEL
By Messenger Staff
Friday, August 14, 2026
The Communications Commission has fined TV Pirveli 5,000 GEL over language used in its news broadcasts, saying the broadcaster presented news based on personal opinions and failed to meet legal requirements for accuracy. The decision was made on Aug. 13.
The commission based its decision on a report by Konstantine Koridze, head of the Media Services Regulation Department. The report cited several statements from TV Pirveli broadcasts as examples of violations of the Broadcasting Law.
The cited statements included:
"The Scrolling & Screening Agency's imprisonment of people led to major protests and performances in the country."
"It can be said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs organized a big hunt near the city council late at night."
"A new stage in restricting freedom of speech and replacing the law with street order. The Georgian Dream is starting to form the so-called morality police."
"A Chechen-style squad."
"In reality, the Dream copied the Chechen model, where athletes are given an official mandate and violence is allowed. The ruling team and the forces supported by it will decide for themselves who to punish, in what form, and how to suppress critical voices."
"The police lost their composure."
"The above-mentioned phrases uttered by the broadcaster's host/journalist, taking into account their context, form of distribution, content and intensity, constitute news coverage based on the broadcaster's personal attitude or opinion," Koridze wrote.
TV Pirveli was also fined 2,500 GEL on June 25 over phrases including "prisoners of conscience," "false witness police officers," "Dream investigation," "oligarch" and "non-existent crime." The commission has imposed similar sanctions on pro-government POS TV and opposition-aligned Formula.
The commission was given the authority to review ethical issues in broadcasters' content under a bill registered in parliament in February 2025, replacing the previous self-regulation mechanism. The law took effect on April 1, 2025.
The changes followed a series of laws adopted by the Georgian Dream government that have restricted media and freedom of expression. These include a ban on television broadcasters receiving grants, a requirement for other media outlets and NGOs to obtain government approval to receive grants, and tighter rules on public rallies.
