Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration responds to the European Parliament’s decision to suspend the accreditation of broadcasters Imedi, Rustavi 2, and PosTV for one year.

“Brussels has finally removed its mask of democracy. It has become apparent that all the appeals and the fine words inscribed in resolutions about protecting democracy, media pluralism, and media freedom were nothing but a farce. It turns out that the finest European standard is not media freedom and affording the media the maximum possible latitude, but quite the opposite: restricting the media, silencing unwanted voices, and casting them out.

This decision points to the double standard that Brussels has long applied, and continues to apply, in its dealings with Georgia, namely that no media rules whatsoever should exist in Georgia, and that this or that outlet may spread unbridled disinformation with impunity, not to be touched or even called out for it. Yet when it comes to the straightforward act of requesting and conducting an interview, it transpires that a media outlet’s accreditation must be suspended for an entire year on those grounds. With this particular decision, Brussels has removed its mask of democracy, and it has been revealed that its true aim is not the protection of the media but its restriction and the silencing of unwanted voices”, - said Levan Makhashvili.

The "Rustavi 2" TV - crew was denied accreditation to cover the 135th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, held on May 14-15 in Moldova, in which Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili is participating.