Transparency International Georgia has identified 93 words and phrases that Georgia’s Communications Commission (ComCom) has previously prohibited critical television channels Formula and TV Pirveli from using in news coverage. ComCom has accused Transparency International Georgia of misleading the public with the list. This article, written by Lana Kokaia, was first published with the independent Georgian news outlet OC Media.

Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgia's prime minister and chairman of Georgian Dream, during a press conference in 2024. Photo: ANP / STRINGER / AFP

In a statement published on Friday, Transparency International Georgia said it reviewed all seven memoranda issued against Formula and TV Pirveli and found that the commission had objected to 101 uses of words or phrases across the documents. Of these, 33 concerned TV Pirveli and 68 concerned Formula, with some overlapping. The organisation identified 93 distinct words and phrases in total.

The Communications Commission has denied having a list of prohibited words or phrases, stating that it had not banned any specific terminology. It argued that the restrictions concerned broadcasters’ legal obligation to cover news and socio-political issues without expressing their personal views or attitudes.

The restrictions concerned broadcasters’ legal obligation to cover news and socio-political issues without expressing their personal views or attitudes

The commission said it had held working meetings with broadcasters and published guidelines to help them comply with the law. It added that its aim was not to sanction broadcasters, but to enforce the law, establish high media standards, and protect the public interest.

The commission said it would continue taking appropriate action to ensure the effective enforcement of the law.

What terms are prohibited?

The list released by Transparency International Georgia includes terms such as ‘regime’, ‘prisoners of conscience’, ‘oligarch’, ‘political prisoners’, ‘political hostages’, ‘repressive policy’, ‘the Georgian Dream police’, ‘unlawful imprisonment’, ‘the Georgian Dream government’, ‘the regime’s court’, and ‘judicial clan’.

The commission has also objected to phrases including ‘Ivanishvili’s prime minister’, ‘the Georgian Dream MP,’ ‘Ivanishvili’s president’, ‘the Georgian Dream State Security Service’, and ‘the so-called education reform,’ according to the NGO’s report.

Beyond specific terminology, Transparency International Georgia said the commission expects broadcasters to report news without commentary or analysis. Its memoranda reportedly cite several statements by journalists and presenters as examples of unacceptable language. These include descriptions of Georgian Dream as establishing a ‘morality police’, comparisons between the ruling party’s supporters and groups in Chechnya, and allegations that the ruling party is copying a model in which some are given an official mandate to use violence.

Beyond specific terminology, Transparency International Georgia said the commission expects broadcasters to report news without commentary or analysis

Other examples in the NGO’s report include references to police ‘hunting down’ activists, describe Georgian Dream as relying on a pro-Russian politician in Washington, and accuse the government of blocking Georgia’s path to EU membership while intensifying disinformation.

What are the sanctions?

The commission had issued seven memoranda concerning the two broadcasters over the past six months, resulting in escalating fines. On 1 October, the commission fined Formula ₾10,000 ($3,700) for the third time over language it deemed a violation of broadcasting impartiality requirements.

The commission described the violations as cases in which presenters or journalists expressed their own views on current events, providing viewers with information within the framework of their own views and attitudes.

The NGO said the commission appeared to be following a pattern of penalising the two broadcasters in turn and predicted that TV Pirveli could face a similar fine. It warned that further financial penalties could threaten the broadcasters’ operations and noted that the commission also has the authority to suspend their broadcasting licences.

Transparency International Georgia warned that further financial penalties could threaten the broadcasters’ operations

The commission has also placed pro-government channels Imedi, POSTV, and Rustavi 2 under monitoring. However, TI Georgia questioned whether this monitoring was being applied impartially, arguing that the process appeared primarily aimed at punishing critical outlets.

The commission threatened to begin monitoring the content of critical broadcasters after the UK sanctioned pro-government television channels Imedi and POSTV in February 2026 over their alleged deliberate dissemination of false information about Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and support for Russian disinformation.

Imedi dismissed the sanctions as worthless, saying it would continue to serve Georgia and freedom of speech, while POSTV founder Shalva Ramishvili suggested the channel had been sanctioned for not claiming that Ukraine was winning the war against Russia.

Censorship by Georgian Dream

The commission considers such language to express a broadcaster’s personal opinion or attitude towards state bodies and institutions, thereby violating paragraph 5 of article 54 of Georgia’s Law on Broadcasting.

Under Georgia’s Law on Broadcasting, broadcasters are prohibited from covering political or other conflicts and current public policy issues in news and certain socio-political programmes based on the broadcaster’s personal views or attitudes. The ruling party amended the broadcasting law in spring 2025, regulating coverage standards for broadcasters both on air and on social media platforms.

Under the previous legislation, the authority to respond to violations of broadcasting standards lay with self-regulatory bodies within the broadcasters themselves. However, according to the 2025 amendments, the same authority was also granted to a state body — the Communications Commission.

Transparency International Georgia has argued that restricting such language risks preventing broadcasters from critically analysing public policy and the actions of government officials.

The NGO also raised concerns about the commission’s composition, claiming that its members are loyal to or affiliated with Georgian Dream. It said the regulator’s authority to impose financial penalties and suspend broadcasting licences was particularly alarming amid what it described as state capture in Georgia.

Transparency International Georgia also raised concerns about the commission’s composition, claiming that its members are loyal to or affiliated with Georgian Dream

In January 2026, former MP Goga Gulordava, from Georgian Dream, was elected chair of the commission after previously serving as a member.

Transparency International Georgia called on the commission to stop acting as a censor and argued that disputes over broadcasting impartiality should instead be addressed through self-regulatory mechanisms, in line with international practice.

This article was first published with OC Media.