Freedom House corrects its report on Georgia after being criticized by Georgian Gov’t

Freedom House, the US-government funded non-governmental organisation, has made corrections in its Nations in Transit report on Georgia, after the survey was harshly criticized by the Georgian prime minister, parliament speaker and other top figures of the country. 

The corrections were made on May 13 and 14 and they concern the media issues. 

An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated that the second channel of the public broadcaster GPB was closed down. The channel still operates but its content has been reduced,” the report reads now. 

An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated that the Georgian Dream government returned ownership of Imedi TV to the family of deceased businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili. It was the United National Movement which had returned control of the broadcaster to the family after Georgian Dream defeated UNM in elections in October 2012. 

The Georgian Parliamnet Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze welcomed the corrections. Photo: Parliament of Georgia press office. 

In addition, an earlier version of this report incorrectly referred to the combination of Imedi TV, Maestro TV and GDS as a "merger,” when the combination was the result of two transactions,” the current version of the report says. 

The Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze responded to the corrections and said that the initial version of the report included "tens of mistakes.” 

It is welcomed that the mistakes are gradually corrected. I believe that the incorrect information was not the fault of Freedom House, It is the fault of the biased non-governmental organisations and subjects which provided the information,” Kobakhidze said. 

The Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated on April 12, shortly after the release of the report, that the survey on Georgia was "extremely biased and based on unbalanced information.”