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| A TV grab taken from Imedi's fake news report showing portraits of opposition politicians, which in the report were portrayed as collaborators with invading Russia forces. From above, from left to right - Nino Burjanadze; Zurab Nogaideli; Koba Davitashvili, Zviad Dzidziguri, Kakha Kukava (latter four running in the local elections) and Giorgi Khaindrava. Leader of Alliance for Georgia Irakli Alasania's face is crossed out with an X as the fictitious report said that Alasania was not among those cooperating with Russia. |
In an interview with the U.S. radio station, NPR, President Saakashvili has strongly denied giving approval to a fake TV news report on Imedi TV channel, which caused a brief panic in Georgia month ago.
During the interview with NPR’s All Things Considered, host asked the President if he knew about the broadcast in advance. “Everybody knew because they [the TV station] advertised about the thing the whole week,” Saakashvili responded.
Asked whether he in any way had approved such a broadcast, Saakashvili said: “I would have been crazy to approve it because in that broadcast the main thing that happens that Georgian army betrayed and I was killed… Any government should be crazy to be happy about those two facts.”
Saakashvili was also asked whether the broadcast was calculated to panic the public and to depict the opposition as pro-Russian. “The people that depicted there, they are not running in elections,” Saakashvili responded. He attributed the fake TV news report to “televisions fight for ratings.” “These days, this is all about advertising money,” he said.
President Saakashvili, who is in Washington taking part in high-profile nuclear security summit, alluded to Imedi TV fake report in a speech on April 9 when he signed a decision on setting up of, as he put it, “a fact-finding commission on Russia’s 200-year old policy towards Georgia.”
“If someone thinks that bad stories are only in scary, panic-triggering TV broadcasts, I would advise them to keep a close eye on developments with took place couple of days ago in one of the former Soviet countries [referring to Kyrgyzstan],” Saakashvili said on April 9.