Page 7 - GEORptSep22

2.0 Politics
2.1 Georgian TV stations fined for criticising ruling party
Three Georgian TV channels have been penalised for broadcasting critical advertisements about Georgia's ruling party, Georgian Dream. TV Pirveli and Formula have given written warnings, while Mtavari Arkhi has been fined 1% of its annual income.
Georgian Dream launched legal actions against the channels for running an advertisement critical of the ruling party in the run-up to the June pro-European protests.
In the video, members and supporters of the Georgian Dream party discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and criticise the EU. The advertisement aired in the days before the EU's decision on Georgia's candidate status and encouraged Georgians to join the pro-European rallies on June 23-24.
Media outlets will be punished for "airing advertisements containing political content during the non-election period".
Formula and TV Pirveli received warnings, as they had committed no other violations over the preceding year. But the pro-opposition channel Mtavari was fined 1% of its annual revenue, amounting to GEL119,000 ($42,000).
In May, Mtavari's director, Nika Gvaramia, was incarcerated on charges of abuse of power and embezzlement. The sentence was condemned by civil society and some Western diplomats. It was deemed as being politically motivated.
2.2 Number of Georgian asylum seekers in the EU surges
The EU is reporting a surge in asylum applications from Georgia. In the first four months of the current year, there were 8,075 asylum applications from Georgian citizens, representing a 183% y/y increase, according to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).
390 Georgian nationals were granted temporary protection in EU countries. Most asylum applications were submitted to France (2,725), Germany (2,455), Italy (1,100), Ireland (420) and Belgium (315).
During the first four months of the year, over 8,000 people have asked for asylum; 91% of those applications came from first-time applicants, which was a 76% y/y increase.
UNHCR data shows that 88% of Georgian refugees were residing in the EU under the UNHCR mandate in 2021. In addition, 59%, or 5,760, were living in France, followed by Germany (711) and Italy (623).
“In 2021, Georgian children had a higher rejection rate – 96% of child asylum applications in EU countries were rejected,” the EUAA report reads.
7 GEORGIA Country Report September 2022 www.intellinews.com