Imedi TV
The Imedi TV channel said that it had asked for explanations about the accreditation denial and received a reply from the Moldovan Foreign Ministry. It said that all applications for accreditation were examined by the competent bodies in accordance with the national legislation and the rules of accreditation of foreign journalists. “As a result of the review, your application was not approved,” the response quoted by Imedi said.
The channel has also asked for a comment from the Council of Europe. At the time of publication, according to the channel, no response has been received.
Reaction in Georgia
The restrictions caused a sharp reaction from Georgian government officials. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, quoted by 1tv.ge, was surprised that “a journalist should first get the consent of the interlocutor and only then turn on the camera”. According to the Imedi channel itself, the reason was the journalists’ attempt to interview MEP Rasa Yukniaviciene without prior approval.
“Interesting. We will think about the expediency of adopting this rule,” the speaker said ironically, complaining that the European Parliament suspended accreditation not only for the journalist, but also for the entire media channel.
Nothing unexpected?
Levan Makhashvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for European Integration, said that such measures are part of a “broader trend of pressure on independent media and limiting ‘unwanted voices'”.
According to him, various tools are being used – from visa restrictions to accreditation procedures. As Imedi writes, he also noted that Moldova’s media policy “was not unexpected” and that “the country had previously concentrated media space around a limited number of pro-government channels.”
And Davit Matikashvili, chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Procedures and Regulations, criticized Moldova’s decision very sharply.
Is it about sanctions?
There have been no official comments on the situation from the Moldovan leadership so far.
It is worth noting that at least two of the three Georgian TV channels, which were restricted from covering the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chisinau, are under sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom as part of the regime of restrictive measures against Russia. According to information on the official government website of the sanctions lists, the channels “disseminate and have previously disseminated deliberately misleading information about Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.
