NGOs ISFED and Transparency International Georgia have responded to the emergence of posters in Tbilisi streets against UNM, activists and journalists, saying the posters are seen as a call for violence, which could "once again endanger the health and life of journalists and activists."

The organizations issued a joint statement urging political leaders to distance themselves from the violent content of the distributed posters and to spread clear messages about the importance of the safety of journalists and civil activists.

“On July 24, unidentified persons put up posters with the caption "No to the National Movement! No to the evil." Along with Mikheil Saakashvili, the banners show the heads of three critical TV stations and civil activists - Giga Makarashvili, a representative of the Shame movement and Giorgi Tabagari, the director of Tbilisi Pride. The posters, in their content and form, call for violence and endanger the safety and lives of people depicted on them.

A similar case took place before the second round of the 2018 presidential election. This time the context is radically different. The content of posters is perceived as a call for violence and the homophobic subtext of the posters is also evident. Consequently, in light of the fact that verbal attacks on the critical media by the ruling party have become more frequent in recent times, the poster may once again put the health and of life journalists and civil activists at risk.

According to the Tbilisi City Hall, its relevant service will remove the posters, as they damage the appearance of the city and are therefore illegal. We believe that the distribution of posters with such content poses a risk to the conduct of the upcoming election campaign in a calm environment and, given the risks of polarization, poses a threat to a healthy democratic process.

We call on the relevant services to fulfill the positive obligation of the state and to ensure adequate protection of the safety of journalists and civil activists.

Political leaders need to distance themselves from the violent content of the posters and spread clear messages about the importance of the safety of journalists and civil society activists," reads the statement.