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.
On March 19, 2025, Judge Tamar Makharoblidze of Tbilisi City Court ordered TV Pirveli journalists Mariam Gaprindashvili and Nanuka Kajaia to leave the courtroom.
The judge made this decision after the journalists inquired why they had not been granted permission to photograph the proceedings — a request they had submitted officially and in accordance with the law.
“The judge did not allow the journalists to finish speaking, told them they were not parties to the case and therefore had no right to speak. She first issued them a warning, and then expelled them from the courtroom,” according to a report by Radio Liberty.
The court session was related to a deliberate murder case that occurred on March 15 on Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue.
On March 20, 2025, in the city of Batumi, Adjara Times director Sulkhan Meskhiadze and Public Broadcaster journalist Lia Toklikishvili — from the investigative program Investigative Reporter — were confronted by activists from the ruling party Georgian Dream while attempting to report on construction safety issues.
“I was filming in ‘Dream Town’ with the Public Broadcaster’s investigative team. Shortly after we arrived, several individuals approached and demanded we stop filming. They began obstructing us — verbally confronting us, and in some cases even using physical force. They tried to push us out of the area and prevent us from recording footage,” Sulkhan Meskhiadze told Batumelebi.
The Media Advocacy Coalition responded to the incident, stating:
“These attacks on the media are part of a broader policy by Georgian Dream aimed at silencing critical voices and restricting the free flow of information. The regime’s hostile rhetoric against the media, combined with the inaction of law enforcement, creates an environment where violence against journalists goes unpunished.”
This is not the first time that media representatives in Batumi’s “Dream Town” have been unlawfully obstructed by Georgian Dream activists or their affiliates while carrying out their professional duties.
On March 26, 2025, the Parliament of Georgia suspended the accreditation of TV Pirveli journalist Nata Kajaia for six months.
The suspension is related to a report she produced about individuals detained during pro-European protests. Kajaia had approached parliamentary staff for interviews. After being refused, she continued trying to obtain answers from public officials.
“The reaction from Georgian Dream shows that they did not like the segment aired on Saturday, because we told the audience how the persecution is based on falsehoods — in a criminal case involving prisoners of conscience. I approached a parliamentary employee for an interview — the man whose testimony is part of the case against the prisoners of conscience,” Kajaia said in an interview with TV Pirveli.
The incident drew a response from the Media Advocacy Coalition, which stated:
“The regime is systematically abusing independent media. Journalists are being unlawfully obstructed in their professional work. There is a pattern of continuous attacks, intimidation, insults, and disinformation. To this day, no one has been held accountable — neither those who ordered nor those who carried out these systemic crimes.”
The rules for journalist accreditation in the legislature are defined by a decree issued by the Speaker of Parliament on February 6, 2023.
