Level of Freedom of Speech in Georgia

International organization Artikle 19 got interested in the level of freedom of speech in Georgia after the Rose Revolution.

On September 28 the international organization together with representatives of nongovernmental organizations, politicians and journalists held a round table meeting the topic of which was “Freedom of Expression in Georgia: Risks and Challenges”.

The meeting was dedicated to discussion of the facts of political pressure exerted on journalists, self-censorship in media, physical pressuring of journalists, media ethics and accessibility of public information.

Regional Representative of Artikle 19 in Eastern Europe and CIS countries Luidgard Hammer told news agency “Interpressnews” that the Georgia TV broadcasters became weaker after the Rose Revolution. “The main goal of today’s meeting is to find out what’s the reason of this state of affairs, we want to understand whether it’s a result of government pressure or whether it’s the fault of owners of TV companies themselves” – he said.

Artikle 19 cooperates with Georgian NGO Liberty Institute. The aim of that organization is to study and analyze the level of freedom of speech in various countries of the world; the organization also gives recommendations to governments on how to increase the level of freedom of speech.