UK sanctions on Imedi, POSTV ‘attack’ on Georgia’s sovereignty, ruling party senior MP

Irakli Kirtskhaliia, leader of the parliamentary majority and chair of the Georgian Dream ruling party faction, has described recent sanctions against Imedi and POSTV domestic media outlets by Great Britain as an “attack”. 

Speaking on the programme Imedi Live on Wednesday, Kirtskhaliia said the term “sanction” was inappropriate in that context.

“Are we really talking about sanctions with regard to Imedi? This is an attack,” he said. He added that measures concerning diplomatic passports and visa arrangements should also be seen not as sanctions but as actions directed against a sovereign state.

“Each of these dirty steps is an attack on an independent country. Today, among many other things, they dared to strike at free speech and the media,” he claimed.

Kirtskhaliia also accused the Georgian opposition of seeking punitive measures against their own country, arguing that some opposition figures had lobbied abroad for sanctions.

He further noted that the stated reasons for targeting the broadcaster were “anecdotal” and “insulting,” dismissing allegations related to corruption reporting.

He suggested that the real motive lay in the outlet’s refusal to align with what he described as mainstream narratives promoted by Western media and political actors.

Referring to shifts in rhetoric among certain US media outlets, including CNN, he said changing international narratives demonstrated inconsistencies in criticism directed at Georgian broadcasters.