British Ambassador personally involved in disinformation targeting students, Speaker Papuashvili

Georgia’s parliament speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, has accused the British ambassador, Gareth Ward, of personally spreading disinformation, saying it was particularly concerning that this occurred during a meeting with students.

Papuashvili was responding to reports that the ambassador told students the relationship between the two countries had been damaged and claimed that the ruling Georgian Dream party had taken anti-democratic steps against NGOs and the opposition. Papuashvili called these statements false and warned that they represented a political campaign against the Georgian government.

He added that such actions, especially in an educational setting, risked “brainwashing” students and reinforcing misleading narratives. Papuashvili also questioned whether similar coverage by British media, including the BBC, reflected individual journalistic choices or a “coordinated hybrid operation” against Georgia.