Telecommunications company Magticom has issued a statement regarding the sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom on February 24.
The company said the matter should be considered within the framework of Georgia’s Law on Broadcasting and the UK’s Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (Unique ID: RUS3393).
Based on the statement, the sanctions regime includes:
* Asset freezes
* Director disqualification sanctions
* Trust services sanctions
The UK government justified its decision by stating that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that TV company Imedi qualifies as a “connected person” under the 2019 Russia sanctions regulations.
The UK Secretary of State concluded that Imedi had deliberately disseminated misleading information regarding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to its primarily Georgian audience. According to the UK’s position, such actions amount to supporting or facilitating policies that destabilize Ukraine or undermine its territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence.
The justification specifically cited the broadcaster’s alleged repeated claims that:
* The Ukrainian government and President Volodymyr Zelensky are illegitimate;
* Ukraine is a “puppet” of the West;
* Ukraine is a corrupt state;
* Ukraine and Western actors are attempting to destabilize Georgia.
Magticom’s statement outlines that UK sanctions regulations apply to:
* Any individual, business or organization operating within UK territory (including territorial waters);
* Any business established under UK law, regardless of where it operates globally;
* UK nationals, wherever they are located.
Financial sanctions apply to all persons within the UK and to all British nationals and UK-incorporated entities worldwide.
The company also referenced the legal consequences of director disqualification sanctions. Unless a license or exemption applies, sanctioned individuals are prohibited from:
* Serving as a director of a UK-registered company;
* Serving as a director of a foreign company with sufficient UK connections;
* Participating in the promotion, formation or management of a company.
Violation of director disqualification sanctions constitutes a criminal offense.
Magticom further cited Article 40¹ of Georgia’s Law on Broadcasting, which regulates broadcasting transit obligations.
Under this provision, public broadcasters, community broadcasters, and authorized terrestrial or satellite broadcasters operating within the service zone of an authorized transit provider have the right to request mandatory inclusion of their channel in all consumer packages offered by the transit provider. In such cases, broadcasters are not entitled to demand payment for signal transit.
The company stated that, based on the above legal framework, it believes the public and all interested parties — including experts — will be able to form a clear and comprehensive understanding of the issue, amid what it described as conflicting information circulating in recent days.
The UK sanctions against Imedi were announced on February 24, with British authorities stating that the broadcaster had been involved in spreading Russian disinformation.
Related story: Kobakhidze calls UK sanctions on Imedi and POSTV “Absurd,” alleges coordination with “local agents”
