Davit Matikashvili: In Georgia, throughout the country’s independence, freedom of speech and expression has been at the highest level – what’s under attack now is precisely what stands out as a hallmark of our success!

In Georgia, throughout the country’s independence, freedom of speech and expression has been at the highest level – what is under attack now is precisely what stands out as a hallmark of our success! – said Georgian Dream MP Davit Matikashvili today.

Matikashvili made this statement in response to British Ambassador Gareth Ward’s message on World Press Freedom Day, in which the ambassador expressed the UK’s concern over incidents of abuse against journalists and the government’s attempts to restrict the free media and close off space for debate.

“This kind of attitude from the British Ambassador is rather laughable. Our country adopted the British model — the so-called BBC model — as the framework for regulating media outlets.

In Georgia, throughout the country’s independence, freedom of speech and expression has been at the highest level. What is under attack now is exactly what distinguishes us as a success.

The fact that European ambassadors do not react at all to the bullying of certain TV companies highlights the double standards that exist on the European continent,” – said Davit Matikashvili.