Ruling party official: Georgia faces baseless accusations, unbacked by facts

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Sunday commented on Georgia’s inclusion in the 2025 “Predators of Press Freedom” list, saying that since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Georgian Government has become accustomed to the spread of false narratives and completely baseless accusations.

In his remarks, Machavariani noted that accusations directed at Georgia were never followed by facts or evidence.

“Such claims are based on perception theories and serve two purposes: to provide oxygen to the opposition and radicals, who are politically lifeless, and to stir unnecessary agitation within society. However, our society has grown stronger over the past four years”, he stated.

He called the organisation’s accusation against Bidzina Ivanishvili - the founder and Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party - of stifling the media environment “speculative”, noting that opposition-affiliated media outlets in Georgia operate “absolutely freely”.

The ruling party MP further recalled the media environment that existed in Georgia before 2012, emphasising that the country now enjoys the most pluralistic conditions for media.

“The media was completely captured. Imedi TV, which was the only remaining critical outlet, was seized live on air during a special operation”, Machavariani concluded.