Georgia’s Parliament has amended its media accreditation regulations, introducing stricter sanctions for journalists and media outlets and aligning the framework more closely with rules used by the European Parliament.
Under the changes, a media outlet may have its parliamentary accreditation revoked and be barred from applying for new accreditations for up to one year if its accredited journalist repeatedly violates accreditation requirements. Similar restrictions may also apply to non-accredited media organizations whose journalists repeatedly breach the rules.
The amendments also expand the grounds for revoking a media outlet’s accreditation. Accreditation may now be withdrawn if a media organization’s activities are no longer related to covering the work of Parliament.
In addition, accredited journalists will be required to respect the dignity and personal space of all individuals within the parliamentary building and safeguard parliamentary property. Repeated violations may result in the journalist’s accreditation being revoked and could also affect the accreditation status of their media organization.
