On February 16, 2025, in the “Dream Town” neighborhood of Batumi, Sulkhan Meskhiadze, founder and editor of Adjara Times, was obstructed while carrying out his professional duties.
An aggressive individual attempted to damage Meskhiadze’s equipment and knocked the microphone out of his hand. The incident was broadcast live, and footage shows that members of Batumi’s City Council were present but left the scene without responding.
The incident followed a tragic event the day before, on February 15, when two young children died in the same area. Sulkhan Meskhiadze was reporting on the tragedy when, allegedly, individuals connected to the ruling party Georgian Dreaminterfered with his work.
On February 10, 2025, Tbilisi City Court found Mtavari Arkhi cameraman Sergi Baramidze guilty of an offense and issued him a verbal warning — despite the fact that he had been assaulted by law enforcement while performing his professional duties.
Baramidze was violently detained on November 19 of the previous year while on assignment. He was later released after signing a written statement.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Internal Affairs filed an administrative offense report against the cameraman. According to the report, on November 19, Baramidze allegedly disrupted public order, used profanity, shouted insults without clear direction, interfered with the lawful detention of another individual, and refused to stop his actions despite multiple warnings. He was charged under Article 166 (petty hooliganism) and Article 173, Part 1 (disobedience to a lawful police order) of the Administrative Offenses Code.
At the hearing on February 10, the judge dropped the case under Article 166 (petty hooliganism) but found Baramidze guilty under Article 173 (interference with police) and issued a verbal reprimand.
On February 12, 2025, a journalist from Batumelebi was denied entry to a public meeting held at Batumi City Hall on the issue of homelessness. According to the outlet, homeless individuals had informed them about the event. However, when the Batumelebi journalist arrived at the entrance of City Hall, security police officers told them they would not be allowed to attend the meeting. The outlet attempted to clarify the reason with the City Hall’s Public Relations Office but received no response.
The Charter of Journalistic Ethics of Georgia stated it has reasonable grounds to believe that the discriminatory treatment of Batumelebi and the restriction of their legal rights are directly connected to the unlawful detention and imprisonment of Mzia Amaghlobeli, and are part of a broader effort to pressure the outlet:
“By refusing to allow a journalist into an open commission meeting in a public building, the security police and Batumi City Hall violated the Batumi Municipal Council’s regulations, which require the creation of working conditions for journalists in public institutions,” the organization’s statement reads.
Mzia Amaghlobeli, co-founder and media manager of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, is the first woman journalist in Georgia considered a prisoner of conscience. She was arrested on January 11, 2025, accused of slapping a law enforcement officer, and faces a prison sentence of 4 to 7 years.
On February 27, 2025, Sulkhan Meskhiadze, editor of “Adjara Times,” was reporting live from the “Dream Town” neighborhood in Batumi, where heavy snowfall had caused a roof collapse in a residential building. During the live broadcast, an unidentified individual approached him from a distance, shouting threats and attempting to obstruct the filming.
At that moment, another citizen intervened in defense of the journalist. The assailant backed away and fled the scene.
Despite the incident, Sulkhan Meskhiadze continued the live coverage and thanked the citizen for their support.
This is not the first time “Adjara Times” has faced interference while carrying out its professional duties.
The Media Advocacy Coalition has responded to the incident.
On February 27, 2025, the Mayor of Akhaltsikhe, Irakli Lazarishvili, called “TOK TV” journalist Misho Darbaidze a “pest” in response to critical questions.
The incident occurred during a session of the Akhaltsikhe Municipal Council, where deputies were reviewing state procurements carried out in 2024. The journalist’s questions focused on non-transparent (direct) procurement procedures, which appeared to irritate the mayor. He accused Darbaidze of “gossiping” and attempted to discredit him.
On June 3, 2025, officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Tasks Department physically confronted TV Pirveli cameraman Sergi Baramidze.
In a video released by the television station, the cameraman is seen filming when a man—reportedly a security officer from the department—approaches him and attempts to forcibly remove him from the area. It’s important to note that the TV Pirveli crew was not on the department’s premises but outside the perimeter.
According to journalist Nanuka Kajaia, the incident occurred after the crew asked a question regarding Zviad Kharazishvili, head of the Special Tasks Department, also known as “Kharabe.” The TV Pirveli team was trying to find out whether Kharazishvili was affected by the recent staffing changes at the Ministry of Internal Affairs following the appointment of the new minister, Gela Geladze.
On June 4, 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs fined Nino Baidauri, a journalist for the online outlet Netgazeti, 5,000 GEL. She is accused of blocking Rustaveli Avenue on March 21.
The journalist shared the news on Facebook, posting a screenshot of a text message sent by the Ministry:
“You have been fined under Article 174^1, Part 5. Date: 21/03/2025. Location: Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue, near the Parliament building.”
According to publicly available sources, the Center for Media, Information and Social Research (CMIS) has been documenting cases of journalists being fined for blocking roads while covering pro-European protests since November 28, 2024. Nino Baidauri is the 37th journalist fined by the Ministry for this reason.
On June 4, 2025, Nino Baiduri, a journalist for the online publication Netgazeti, was fined 5,000 GEL by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. She is accused of blocking Rustaveli Avenue on March 21.
The journalist wrote about the fine on the social media platform Facebook, attaching the short text message she received from the Ministry:
“You have been fined under Article 174, Paragraph 5. Date: 21/03/2025. Location: Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue, near the Parliament building.”
According to publicly available sources, the Media, Information, and Social Research Center (CMIS) has been documenting cases of journalists fined for blocking roads while covering pro-European protests, based on publicly accessible information, since November 28, 2024.
On March 17, 2025, Formula journalist Nano Chakvetadze was informed by police that she had been fined 5,000 GEL. She is accused of blocking the road on March 13. According to Formula, Chakvetadze was carrying out her professional duties on Rustaveli Avenue that day.
This is not the first time an independent media representative has been unlawfully fined while performing their journalistic work.
On March 18, 2025, TV Pirveli photojournalist Giorgi Mosiashvili was issued a fine of 5,000 GEL by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Police accused Mosiashvili of illegally blocking the road on Rustaveli Avenue at 9:03 PM on March 11.
In a Facebook post, Mosiashvili stated that he was carrying out his professional duties on Rustaveli Avenue on March 11.
