Irakli Kirtskhalia: Bidzina Ivanishvili’s inclusion in the list of “predators of press freedom” is the price he is paying for not surrendering the country’s peace and sovereignty – we assure you that we are ready for all of this!

The mere mention of the seizure of press freedom and Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili in the same context is, I believe, something that needs no explanation for any nationally minded Georgian – it is laughable. However, as it appears, the logic of the “deep state” is as follows: the more grandiose the lie, the more absurd and unbelievable the accusation, the more it exceeds every limit in its insolence, the more convincingly it must sound, – this was stated by the leader of the parliamentary majority, Irakli Kirtskhalia, who, on behalf of the political team of “Georgian Dream,” responded to the list of “predators of press freedom” published by the organization “Reporters Without Borders,” in which the founder and honorary chairman of “Georgian Dream,” Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been included.

According to Kirtskhalia, when a state defends its national interests, does not obey external dictation and does not surrender its sovereignty, campaigns are launched in various directions against those leaders and parties who are responsible for all of this.

“On behalf of the political team of ‘Georgian Dream,’ I would like to respond to the so-called list of ‘predators of press freedom’ published by the organization already well known to us, ‘Reporters Without Borders,’ in which the founder and honorary chairman of ‘Georgian Dream,’ Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been deliberately included.

The mere mention of the seizure of press freedom and Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili in the same context is, I believe, something that needs no explanation for any nationally minded Georgian – it is laughable. At the same time, it is also nothing new that the population of Georgia, for a whole series of objective reasons, does not take the expertise, statements or assessments of this organization seriously. However, as it appears, the logic of the ‘deep state’ is as follows: the more grandiose the lie, the more absurd and unbelievable the accusation, the more it exceeds every limit in its insolence, the more convincingly it must sound. As if the force of its impact lies precisely in this extremity – that is, it is enough to repeat a lie so many times, with such determination and frequency, that despite its absurdity, the accusation itself becomes a fact.

In our political team we consider it important to use the absurd published by one of the instruments controlled by the global war party – more specifically, this latest attempt to put pressure on Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili and ‘Georgian Dream’ – to illustrate how their mechanisms work against those leaders and national forces that do not act in accordance with the interests of informal oligarchic forces and choose peace instead of war, freedom instead of obedience, and sovereignty instead of acting under the dictate of the influence of foreign forces.

The assessments of this organization, which operates under informal oligarchic influence, clearly show the attitude, including the double standards, that exists toward countries pursuing a sovereign policy. That is, when a state defends its national interests, does not obey external dictation and does not surrender its sovereignty, campaigns are launched in various directions against those leaders and parties who are responsible for all of this. One such direction is the attempt to stick various labels. This time this absurd label is ‘predator of press freedom.’

To put it more simply: if the authorities serve the interests of external forces, they may be forgiven countless crimes, but if they defend national interests and try to pursue an independent policy for the country, a campaign in the name of democracy and freedom immediately begins against them.

I emphasize that this is not a personal opinion or view, but a confirmed fact, including on the example of our country.

For greater clarity we remind the public that during the period of rule by the regime of Mikheil Saakashvili and the ‘National Movement,’ when this unconstitutional political force had seized the state, every major media outlet that had the possibility of broadcasting throughout the entire country was subject to the full control and influence of one political party. Media completely stripped of independence functioned as a propaganda instrument of the ruling political force. There was no pluralism in the information space, and a position different from the regime and critical thought had become such an unacceptable and criminal phenomenon that even speaking openly on this topic had become an expression of resistance and personal courage, almost heroism. Like dystopian novels, there was no freedom of speech and expression in the country, and an information monopoly had been established in which society was supplied with only one version of reality desirable to the ruling force, and in the event of not accepting it, punishment was guaranteed!

Against this background, such an authoritarian and his regime, which in both the direct and figurative sense put our country and people through hell, were referred to as a ‘beacon of democracy,’ and the period of their rule was presented as Georgia’s democratic success. All of this continued for as long as this regime was beneficial to its foreign masters.

Of course, neither we nor our people are so naive as to believe either in the sincerity of these assessors, or that they did not know what type of terror prevailed in Georgia. Of course they knew, because Saakashvili, as their agent, on their orders and in accordance with their interests, directed both the domestic and foreign policy of the country, which left the heaviest, tragic mark on our country and people – an adventure that cost us the damage to our national interests, the lives of our citizens, heroic military personnel and policemen, and, in addition, the occupied territories.

This example clearly shows how selective the assessments of international actors operating under the influence of informal oligarchic forces are, and how often these forces place political interests above reality,” Kirtskhalia stated.

He called the “Reporters Without Borders” list yet another speculation and noted that today the media environment in Georgia is so pluralistic that various media outlets have the opportunity to express the sharpest criticism toward the authorities.

“It is precisely with such a case that we are dealing in connection with the latest speculation by ‘Reporters Without Borders,’ because it is impossible to assess the media environment in Georgia and not notice the reality, the objective assessment of which makes it clear that Georgia, both in terms of media freedom and democracy, is today one of the leading states in the world. It is also a fact that the media environment in Georgia today is so pluralistic that various media outlets have the opportunity to express the sharpest criticism toward the authorities and to voice any accusation without any argument whatsoever. Moreover, judge for yourselves how absurd the said accusation is when a large part of the media outlets that have become weapons of propaganda for the radical opposition still do not recognize the legitimacy of the authorities lawfully elected by the population of Georgia; also, the overwhelming majority of these media outlets and so-called journalists stood in the vanguard of revolutionary processes in Georgia.

Taking into account all of the above, both for me personally and for every member of the ruling team it is a matter of pride that today freedom of speech, expression and the media is protected in Georgia as never before!

Against this background, the inclusion of Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili in the list of ‘predators of press freedom’ is nothing other than the price that the honorary chairman of ‘Georgian Dream,’ the figure with the greatest political and not only political authority in Georgia, is paying at personal, high risk, for not surrendering our country’s peace, national interest and sovereignty in accordance with the interests of the global war party, so that Georgia, as in the recent past, does not again become a sacrificial figure on the great political chessboard.

Of course, it is of no fundamental importance to us what assessment this or that organization acting under the dictation of informal oligarchic forces publishes, because when you defend national interests, do not surrender sovereignty and pursue an independent political course for the country, you must be ready not only for the sticking of various labels, but for far, far greater pressure as well.

We assure you that both Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili personally, and ‘Georgian Dream,’ and most importantly, His Majesty the Georgian people, are ready for all of this!” Kirtskhalia stated.

For reference: the organization “Reporters Without Borders” has published the 2026 list of “predators of press freedom,” in which Bidzina Ivanishvili is also included.

According to the report of “Reporters Without Borders” (RSF), the honorary chairman of “Georgian Dream,” Bidzina Ivanishvili, is on the list of persons and organizations that exert influence on the media economically.

In Bidzina Ivanishvili’s profile the organization writes that “the billionaire oligarch, former prime minister and founder of the party ‘Georgian Dream,’ remains the real power behind the government of Georgia.”

Among the approximately 35 persons on the list of “predators of press freedom” are, among others, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin; the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko; the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. This year the President of the United States Donald Trump is also included in the list.