Georgian Parliament official: Moldova’s media restrictions “not unexpected” as Sandu cleared media space

Levan Makhashvili, the chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European integration committee, on Thursday criticised recent restrictions imposed on Georgian media outlets, calling them part of a broader effort to silence unwanted voices.

Makhashvili’s ​​remarks come in the wake of news that the European Parliament has suspended the accreditation of the Georgian broadcaster Imedi TV for one year. Simultaneously, Moldova denied accreditation to three Georgian TV channels without providing a formal explanation.

According to him, various mechanisms are being used to limit independent media coverage, including visa-related measures, accreditation restrictions, and other administrative tools.

“This is a continuation of the efforts we have witnessed in recent months aimed at silencing voices that are undesirable to them”, Makhashvili said.

He also criticised Moldova, stating that recent developments there were “not surprising”.

“In recent years, we have seen how the Moldovan president cleared the media space and left only one or two channels that directly serve as government propaganda”, he said. “This was not unexpected for us, but such harsh decisions remain unacceptable, especially when it concerns large-scale events such as those organised by the Council of Europe, where public interest is high and all media outlets should have the opportunity to deliver information to their audiences”.