State Audit Office to investigate who stands behind billboards depicting opposition politicians as ‘bloody’
The billboards feature opposition political leaders, including former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia who resigned earlier this year and the media managers of two opposition-minded TV channels Nika Gvaramia and Nodar Meladze from Mtavari Arkhi and TV Pirveli which reads: ‘No to Natsis (referring to the largest opposition United National Movement (UNM) party), No to evil, No to betrayal.’
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The Georgian State Audit Office has launched an investigation to find out who stands behind billboards depicting opposition politicians as ‘bloody.’
The billboards depicting opposition politicians, including ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and UNM mayoral candidate Nika Melia, say: ‘No to Natsis [a short, often derogatory form of the opposition UNM), No to evil, No to betrayal’.
The State Audit Office requested information regarding the customer, the cost of the placement, and circulation from the company owning the banner placements”, reads an official statement released by the State Audit Office.
The statement also reads that the State Audit Office has started administrative proceedings to determine the legality of incurred expenses for placement of the billboards.
On September 18, 2021 businessman Mikheil Gabriadze told Rustavi 2 TV that he and his friends stand behind ‘bloody’ billboards depicting opposition politicians.
Claiming that he does not belong to any political party, Gabriadze said the former ruling party – United National Movement – which is now the largest opposition party, should not return to power.
On September 20, 2021 political movement Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria, who is the united opposition’s joint candidate for the City Council chair in the upcoming local elections, filed a complaint in the Central Election Commission (CEC) over the billboards.
Later in September the CEC stated that the placement of the banners in Tbilisi and other regions are not considered a part of an election program, which is why there are no legal grounds for taking any legal measures against it.
The spokesperson of CEC stated that the person who placed the banners does not represent any political party, election subject, or other official supporter.
Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze stated earlier today that the replacement of a Covid-19 vaccination ad with a ‘billboard of hatred‘ is categorically unacceptable, referring to anti-opposition political billboards which appeared in Georgia on September 17. She said that ‘vaccination is a priority not only for the country but also for the world.’
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) of Georgia has called on advertising company ALMA to restore Covid-19 vaccination banners which were replaced by anti-opposition political billboards on September 17. The NCDC states that the advertising company did not notify the body regarding the change of the banners, noting that the replacement of their banners ‘was possible only with the prior agreement of the parties.’
Political movement Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria, who is the united opposition’s joint candidate for the City Council (Sakrebulo) chair in the upcoming local elections, has filed a complaint in the Central Election Commission (CEC) over billboards which portray opposition politicians as ‘bloody.’ The billboards feature opposition political leaders, including former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia who resigned earlier this year and the media managers of two opposition-minded TV channels Nika Gvaramia and Nodar Meladze from Mtavari Arkhi and TV Pirveli which reads: ‘No to Natsis (referring to the largest opposition United National Movement (UNM) party), No to evil, No to betrayal.’
Transparency International (TI) Georgia and International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) say violent posters in the streets of Tbilisi pose a threat to the health and life of the opposition and media representatives.
Advertising company Alma has announced that it will ‘not put up hate speech banners’ and addressed the Georgian parliament with an initiative to ban hateful advertisements. Billboards depicting the opposition as ‘bloody’ appeared on September 17 in Tbilisi ahead of the October 2 municipal elections which depicted opposition political leaders, including former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and the media managers of two opposition-minded TV channels Nika Gvaramia and Nodar Meladze from Mtavari Arkhi and TV Pirveli.
The Georgian parliament’s committee on legal affairs has supported the appeal of advertising company Alma to ban hateful advertisements earlier today. Based on Alma’s legislative proposal, the electoral code or other legislative acts should be amended in order to restrict or prohibit the placement of hate speech banners in self-governing cities and municipalities.
The opposition European Georgia party has demanded advertising company Alma put up their banners and to fulfil the terms of their contract. European Georgia wants to place the banners where the billionaire and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Bidzina Ivanishvili is depicted as a pig. The billboard calls on Georgian citizens ‘not to become an animal farm and stop being understanding’ in a reference to the George Orwell novel Animal Farm.