‘Soon there will be neither Great nor Britain left’ — Georgia slams UK sanctions
Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party criticised the UK for sanctioning two pro-government media outlets, with senior Georgian Dream member Irakli Kirtskhalia stating that ‘soon there will be neither Great nor Britain left’ of the UK.
The UK announced sanctions against Imedi and POSTV on Tuesday, listing both media outlets as ‘entities involved in Russian disinformation’ and accusing them of spreading ‘deliberately misleading information’ concerning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to its audiences.
Imedi and POSTV were apparently the only media outlets to be included in the newly expanded sanctions list, published on the fourth anniversary of the invasion.
Criticism of the sanctions was voiced by both TV channels, with Imedi stating that ‘British sanctions have no value’, accusing the British government of supporting the formerly ruling United National Movement’s (UNM) even after the raid of its offices during the UNM rule.
Imedi added that ‘the only valuable assessment for Imedi TV is the trust of the Georgian people’.
Shortly afterward, representatives of the Georgian government also condemned the UK over the sanctions.
Kirtskhalia, who serves as Georgian Dream’s parliamentary leader, echoed his party’s rhetoric, according to which several European countries, including the UK, are controlled by the ‘deep state’. In this part, he quoted the former short-lived Prime Minister of the UK, Liz Truss, who also made claims about the “deep state”.
Accusing London of ‘interfering in freedom of speech in another country’, Kirtskhalia said it would be better for the UK to address its own problems including ‘the economic stagnation of recent years and the most severe migration challenges’.
‘Events are unfolding in such a way that, with high probability, there will soon be neither Great nor Britain left of the UK, which is why we express particular concern and regret’, he added.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also responded to the sanctions, calling them ‘ridiculous’ and ‘shameful’. He went on to claim that in today’s UK, ‘neither media freedom nor other fundamental human rights are valued at all’.
‘The situation that has taken shape today within the European bureaucracy is just tragic’, he added.
Asked about the future of the TV channels following the sanctions, Kobakhidze underlined that ‘all state-owned companies, as well as private companies, should of course continue cooperating with both TV channels’.
The UK imposed the same three sets of sanctions on both entities — ‘asset freeze, trust services sanctions, director disqualification sanction’ — meaning that all assets or properties held by the companies in the UK will be frozen, it will become illegal for UK citizens to help create or manage trusts for the companies, and the individuals running the companies will be barred from running any other UK-based company.
It is not yet clear how the sanctions might affect the two broadcasters. However, two of the country’s largest banks, TBC and Bank of Georgia, are listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Additionally, the National Bank of Georgia stated in September 2023 that Georgia was in full compliance with sanctions imposed by the US, the UK, and the EU against Russia.
OC Media has asked the National Bank what its policy would be regarding the UK sanctions on the TV channels. The bank has yet to respond and or issue any public statement on the matter.
In recent years, amidst democratic backsliding in Georgia — including the adoption of restrictive laws and violence against anti-government protesters in Georgia — relations between Tbilisi and London have sharply deteriorated.
London had previously sanctioned several high-ranking security officials, including then-Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and senior police officers, as well as influential judges whom critics often regard as leaders of the pro-government ‘clan’ inside Georgian courts.
Yousef Bardouka
