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The Communications Commission of Georgia is the regulatory body whose mandate includes the supervision of electronic communications, media services, and video-sharing platform services. The Commission’s activities have a significant impact on the media environment and freedom of expression in Georgia. The term of office for Kakha Bekauri, who was elected as a member of the Commission in 2014 and served as Chairman since 2017, has expired. The election of a new Commission Chairman is scheduled for January 29 of this year.

In 2025, the Center for Media, Information and Social Research (CMIS) documented 357 violations targeting journalists, media outlets, and civil society organizations working on media rights. In several instances, a single incident involved multiple forms of abuse (for example, detention accompanied by physical violence). A total of 323 media representatives and media organisations were affected by these violations.

Since January 2024, detentions and arrests of journalists have reached unprecedented levels, mostly while they were covering protest rallies. Altogether, a total of 30 cases were documented. 27 detentions occurred during the protests against the so-called “Russian law,” post-election protests, and post-European protests.

Since October 19, 2025, after the “Georgian Dream” parliament passed yet another repressive amendment under an expedited procedure, 14 media representatives were detained in Tbilisi on Rustaveli Avenue for participating in — and in some cases covering — the ongoing protest.

Over the past year, the Center for Media, Information and Social Research (CMIS) documented 434 incidents in Georgia that targeted journalists, media outlets, and civil society organizations working on media rights. In several cases, a single incident encompassed multiple forms of violations (e.g. detention coupled with physical violence).