On November 24, the Parliament suspended the accreditation of Dea Badzagua, a journalist for the investigative program “Shabatis Formula” of the TV “Formula,” for one month. The suspension of accreditation was requested by the “Georgian Dream” MP Maia Bitadze.
A report aired on “Shabatis Formula” [at 18:41 and 20:02], showing Dea Badzagua trying to ask questions to “Georgian Dream” MP Aluda Gghudushauri regarding the case initiated against the chairman of the party “For Georgia,” Giorgi Gakharia. The interview was recorded by phone by Parliament member Maia Bitadze from “Georgian Dream.” According to the journalist on “Formula,” she did not even have questions for Maia Bitadze, but the MP became irritated by listening to questions directed at her colleague.
“It is noteworthy that she [Maia Bitadze] immediately threatened us with sanctions and, apparently, carried them out… Representatives of ‘Georgian Dream’ in the parliamentary body do not answer any questions from critical media,” said journalist Dea Badzagua on “Formula.”
On November 13, another journalist from “Formula,” Tiko Eradze, had her accreditation suspended after she published a video shot in the parliamentary plenary hall, where she filmed “Georgian Dream” MP Eka Chichinadze from the journalists’ designated gallery, while the MP was watching the video recording on her phone.
On November 12, Tiko Eradze released a video filmed in the Parliament’s Plenary Hall, where she recorded “Georgian Dream” MP Eka Chichinadze listening to a video recording on her phone from the lodge designated for journalists. Shortly after the video was published, Tiko Eradze herself posted on Facebook, expressing her assumption that her accreditation would be suspended.
On November 13, the journalist was informed by a letter from the Head of the Parliament Apparatus that her accreditation had been suspended for a period of one month. The letter explained the grounds for the suspension: “You filmed the mobile phone screen of Member of Parliament Eka Chichinadze from the location designated for the media without permission.”
The restriction of journalists’ activities in the Parliament building by “Georgian Dream” is linked to the approval of the Rules of Accreditation for Media in the Parliament of Georgia on February 6, 2023. The new regulations included restrictions such as a ban on filming without prior permission, the journalist’s obligation to stop an interview if a Member of Parliament refuses, and the requirement that a journalist must not film a Member of Parliament’s phone or other electronic device screen without their consent in a way that allows the information or image on it to be perceived. These changes drew criticism from the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, which stated that such regulations made it impossible to obtain and deliver information to the public.
This is not the first time that the Parliament has used the media accreditation rules against representatives of independent media.
