ComCom Issues Violation Protocol to Mtavari TV for Not Airing Georgian Dream’s Political Ad
On September 11, the Communications Commission (ComCom) upheld Georgian Dream’s complaint and issued a protocol of administrative violations against Mtavari TV for refusing to air GD’s political campaign advertisement.
The TV channel refused to broadcast the advertisement, claiming that the video contained “hate speech” and could violate the Broadcasting Law or the Advertising Law of Georgia.
The channel specifically pointed to two frames from the video: in one frame, CSO representatives are shown in black with the words “Say no to moral degradation” written over them in red (See Frame 1); in another frame, opposition politicians are also shown in black with blood stains over them and the words “Say no to the dark past” are written over them, again in red ink (see Frame 2).
According to ComCom, during a public meeting today, the Commission listened to arguments from both sides and determined that the ad “doesn’t contain hate speech or supporting violence or incitement to violence”. It noted: “The video produced by the campaign unit is intended to present the pre-election vision of the political union,” ComCom said, adding: “Therefore, the video presented does not violate the requirements of the legislation in force and the broadcaster was obliged to broadcast it.”
Also Read:
- 25/07/2024 – ComCom Warns Opposition Channel Over “Negative Portrayal” of MPs Who Voted for Agents’ Law
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
