Georgia's Media Regulator Fines TV Pirveli for Use of 'Prisoners of Conscience' and Other Terms
By Messenger Staff
Friday, June 26, 2026
Georgia's Communications Commission (ComCom) has fined broadcaster TV Pirveli GEL 2,500 over language used in its news coverage, including references to "prisoners of conscience," marking the second financial penalty imposed under controversial broadcasting amendments introduced in April 2025.
The June 25 decision follows a similar fine issued against another channel, Formula TV, in May over alleged breaches related to "personal opinions," "impartiality," and "balance."
According to independent media watchdog Mediachecker, the fine stemmed from TV Pirveli's use of specific terms during news programs aired between May 11 and 13, which ComCom monitored selectively. The language in question included references to people arrested in connection with anti-government protests as "prisoners of conscience," phrases such as "the terror against activists continues," and descriptions of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili as an "oligarch" and his party as the "oligarch's party."
ComCom argued the wording reflected the broadcaster's "personal attitude or opinion," in violation of Article 54 of the Broadcasting Law, which mandates "fairness and impartiality" in news reporting.
The penalties come as critics raise alarm over expanded powers granted to ComCom under last year's legislative amendments, which authorized the regulator to oversee broadcast content. ComCom is currently chaired by Goga Gulordava, a former lawmaker from the ruling Georgian Dream party, and has long faced accusations of acting in the ruling party's interests.
Transparency International Georgia said the fine was part of a broader pattern. "For years, the government of Georgian Dream has been attempting, through various means, to pressure, intimidate, and marginalize independent and critical media-whether through financial pressure, legal proceedings, or physical intimidation," the organization said.
It warned that using state institutions against the press posed a new category of risk. "Particularly concerning is the use of investigative bodies and the Communications Commission as instruments for sanctioning the media, creating a new type of threat in which journalists and media outlets may face fines and/or detention for criticizing the authorities," TI Georgia added.
In April, ComCom issued written warnings to both Formula TV and TV Pirveli, as well as to ruling-party-aligned broadcasters Imedi TV and POSTV, over alleged impartiality violations. The move came after the regulator announced a more proactive enforcement stance, framed partly as a response to the United Kingdom's decision to sanction Imedi TV and POSTV for what London described as "Russian disinformation."
