UK ambassador summoned over sanctions on Georgian TV channels

The British ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, has been summoned to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following London’s imposition of sanctions on the Imedi and POSTV television channels, Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili said in an interview with Rustavi 2.

“We have been in communication with the British side. I expect the ambassador to visit the Foreign Ministry tomorrow. We demand an explanation — on what basis this decision was made,” Bochorishvili said, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

The minister described the UK’s decision as “cynical,” adding that sanctions affecting freedom of speech require serious justification.

The sanctions against Imedi and POSTV, two of Georgia’s main pro-government channels, were announced by London on February 24 as part of a package marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. British authorities accused the channels of spreading disinformation about the war, including content that could destabilize Ukraine or threaten its territorial integrity.

The measures freeze the channels’ assets in the UK, prohibit their owners from managing British companies, and restrict international transactions, complicating dealings with foreign partners.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the decision “shameful” and an attack on freedom of speech, promising to take “all necessary measures” to protect the channels’ interests.

National Bank of Georgia President Natia Turnava said that commercial banks in the country would handle Imedi and POSTV in accordance with national legislation, not the regulations of other jurisdictions.

News.Az 

By Emil Kaziyev