Statements

Considering the importance of the role and function of a public broadcaster in a democratic society, we are launching a movement for reforming the Public Broadcaster and propose a 6-point plan involving the following demands:  

1. A meeting with the Prime Minister of Georgia – A higher degree of political will is required to improve the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Therefore, we request a meeting with the Prime Minister where we can present our demands and opinions, and discuss possible solutions.  

2. Members of the Board of Trustees and the General Director must be summoned to the Parliament – We would like to once again call upon the Parliament of Georgia to look into the activities of the Public Broadcaster and organize a public hearing to examine the extent to which the broadcaster is fulfilling its legal obligations.  

3. The Director of the Public Broadcaster Vasil Maghlaperidze must resign – The Georgian Public Broadcaster has made a number of inconsistent and questionable decisions under Vasil Maghlaperidze's leadership. These decisions were related to: a vague plan to reform the broadcaster; implementing a closed staffing policy, whereby journalists from the former Prime Minister's TV station were employed through uncompetitive procedures; suspicious tenders; failure to fulfill program priorities; assuming an editorial policy that was loyal towards the government; closing of the broadcaster’s European Office, etc. Vasil Maghlaperidze was also involved in the Public Broadcaster’s decision to air a video footage of a writer Zviad Ratiani that was taken out of context in a way that served the interests of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which violated universally recognized ethical standards. 

4. 2017 activities of the new management must be subjected to an extraordinary audit – An audit report published by the State Audit Office, which covers the period of 2015-2016, identified significant financial and managerial violations that match the assessments issued by the civil sector. Considering the questionable nature of decisions made by the new management of the Public Broadcaster in 2017, we believe that it is necessary to conduct an extraordinary audit of the broadcaster to examine its work over the past year. 

5. The reform of the Georgian Public Broadcaster must , including a possible revision of the institutional formation of the Board of Trustees and amendment of norms regulating its activities – The existing norms regulating the Board of Trustees clearly do not meet the challenges faced by the Public Broadcaster. Therefore, for the purpose of establishing a more accountable Board that is free of political and economic influence, the Parliament must set up a working group with the involvement of civil society that will develop a better model for setting quotas and selecting members of the Board of Trustees. 

6. The Parliament must not overrule the President's veto on the amendments to the Law on Public Broadcasting – Amendments initiated by the Public Broadcaster reduce its openness and transparency, increase the risk of corruption and significantly damage the advertising market. Therefore, the Parliament must not overrule the veto and needs to work with the civil sector and other stakeholders on legal amendments that are actually needed to reform the broadcaster.

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics 

Georgian Young Lawyers Association  

ISFED

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) 

Open Society Georgia Foundation 

CIDA 

Media Club 

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy 

Georgia’s Reforms Associates 

Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center 

Small and Medium Telecom operators Association of Georgia  

Center for Researching Journalistics and Economic Analytics 

Sapari 

Article 42 of the Constitution 

Human Rights Center 

Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation Center of Torture Victims  

Media Institute Journalistic Resource Center 

Europe Foundation 

Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies 

Voice from Georgia 

Women's Fund in Georgia 

Civil Development Association 

Union Demosi 

Bolnisi Language House 

Georgia Rural Council 

Association “Spectrum” 

The Union of Democrat Meskhs 

Community Union Hereti 

Peace Charter We for Sensible Future 

Association Union of Chiatura 

The Young Scientists’ Club of Ozurgeti 

Saunje 

Atinati 

Tkibuli District Development Fund  

Step Kharagauli 

Samtskhe Javakheti Media Center

Human Rights Development Found 

Paata Shamugia - Poet 

Lasha Bakradze - Writer 

Sandro Jandieri - Director 

Gvantsa Jobava - Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association  

Rati Amaghlobeli - Poet 

Lasha Bughadze - Writer 

Nestan Kvinikadze - Writer  Nino Danelia - Professor at Ilia State University 

Nino Ivanishvili - GIPA, Dean of Journalistic and Media Management School  

Shota Iatashvili - Poet 

Zurab Rtveliashvili - Poet 

Levan Berdzenishvili - Philologist 

Nino Bekishvili - Translator/Journalist  

Masho Samadashvili - Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association 

Otar Jirkvalishvili - Writer 

Iunona Guruli - Writer 

Temur Chkhetiani - Poet 

Keti Kantaria - Translator 

Teona Dolenjashvili - Writer 

Diana Anfimiadi - Writer 

Zviad Ratiani - Poet 

Darejan Kikoliashvili - Translator 

Dato Robakidze - Poet 

Jimsher Rekhviashvili - Writer 

Gaga Nakhutsrishvili - Poet 

Irakli Lomouri - Writer 

Gia Jandieri - New Economic School 

Irakli Kakabadze - Writer 

Natia Mikeladze - Goethe Institute 

Khatuna Tskhadadze - Translator 

Nino Robakidze - Media Researcher 

Nino Kharatishvili - Writer 

Teona Jorbenadze - Script Writer/Producer 

Dato Turashvili - Writer 

Ekaterine Togonidze - Writer 

Medea Bakradze - Painter 

Khatuna Tavdgiridze - Writer