The Minister of Infrastructure visited the construction site of the Kvesheti-Kobi road in the Khadi Gorge together with representatives of pro-government television stations. The visit followed a journalistic investigation by Mtis Ambebi, which reported serious violations identified during the implementation of the project. According to Mtis Ambebi, the Ministry informed the media about the visit only on the previous evening, leaving the outlet unable to attend the site visit. Nevertheless, the Minister’s subsequent statements created the impression that critical media were not interested in the project and were criticizing it without sufficient grounds.
At the same time, the pro-government radio station Ai Utsnobi released an AI-generated video depicting journalists from critical media outlets attempting to ask the Prime Minister questions while he plays the piano. The video was accompanied by the text: “The Prime Minister and the journalists – the dog barks, the caravan moves on.”
Both episodes can be viewed as part of the continuing campaign to discredit critical media. Such messaging undermines the legitimacy of journalists’ professional activities, portrays questions concerning matters of public interest as unfounded criticism or obstruction, and contributes to an increasingly hostile environment for critical media. In Georgia, the discrediting of independent and critical media by government representatives and affiliated actors has become a persistent pattern.
The Communications Commission (ComCom) has fined TV Pirveli for the second time for violating provisions of the Law on Broadcasting related to content regulation. The broadcaster was fined GEL 5,000.
The case was considered under amendments to the Law on Broadcasting adopted by Georgian Dream, which significantly tightened content-regulation requirements for broadcasters. Among other provisions, the amendments introduced restrictions on the expression of editorial positions in news and socio-political programs, new rules governing the right of reply, and standards related to covert recording.
The Commission’s monitoring covered news broadcasts aired on July 27–28. According to ComCom, the broadcasts contained instances in which news was presented through personal attitudes or opinions and factual information was not reported with sufficient accuracy. The Commission identified expressions such as “organized a big hunt,” “scroll-screen agency,” “Chechen-type squad,” “hunting activists,” and “the police were fooled by their nerves” as problematic.
ComCom specifically found a violation in the report “People Have Begun to Be Detained,” aired during TV Pirveli’s 20:00 news broadcast on July 27. According to the Commission, the journalist’s interpretation of a conversation between police officers failed to meet the required standard of factual accuracy.
Currently, TV Pirveli and Formula have each received two fines under the content-regulation provisions. If ComCom finds another violation by TV Pirveli, it will have the authority to consider suspending the broadcaster’s authorization or imposing a higher fine of no less than GEL 10,000 and no more than 3% of the company’s annual revenue.
According to the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, ComCom continues to exert pressure on television broadcasters over the use of terminology deemed unacceptable by Georgian Dream. The Charter argues that, following the amendments to the Law on Broadcasting adopted in March 2025, the Commission has increasingly used proactive media monitoring as an instrument of pressure on editorial policy, undermining broadcasters’ ability to maintain independent editorial decision-making.
Imedi TV has published a post on its Facebook page that seeks to discredit Radio Tavisupleba/RFERL. The post refers to the outlet as “foreign-funded Radio Liberty” and claims that it is attempting to criticize the proposed reform of school uniforms.
The post also mentions Radio Liberty respondent and sexologist Eka Kvirkvelia in a disparaging context, identifying her as the wife of a person connected to the “Kamiti” case.
The framing used in Imedi’s post reflects a broader narrative promoted by pro-government media, in which critical and independent outlets are portrayed primarily through their sources of foreign funding. Such messaging serves to delegitimize their editorial work and undermine their credibility.
On August 10, 2026, Adjara Public Broadcaster’s journalist Koba Partenadze posted a video on his Facebook page documenting threats of physical violence against him.
“Every evening I encounter people who insult me, threaten me, and physically touch me. There have been several attacks on me in recent days… How many times do I have to be attacked for this to no longer be considered just an ‘incident’? How many times do I have to go to the police before someone recognizes that this is a systemic problem?” Partenadze wrote, calling on law enforcement agencies to respond.
Partenadze told Adjara Times that he believed the attacks may have been linked to his professional activities, noting that one of the attackers had also referred to Adjara Television using obscene and insulting language.
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to urgently investigate the repeated threats against Partenadze and take appropriate measures to ensure his safety.
On August 11, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that two individuals had been detained in Batumi in connection with violence and threats against Partenadze. According to the Ministry, the investigation is being conducted under Articles 126 (violence) and 151 (threat) of the Criminal Code.
On August 12, 2026, during a government briefing, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze repeatedly referred to television stations with critical editorial policies, including Formula and TV Pirveli, as “party television stations.” He accused them of fuelling Russophobic sentiment and repeatedly described TV Pirveli journalist Rusudan Dumbadze as a “foreign agent” and a propagandist for the United National Movement.
When a TV Pirveli journalist asked why the Prime Minister devoted so much attention to the issue of Russophobia, Kobakhidze said that such sentiments were being deliberately incited by “foreign agents” and subsequently amplified by what he described as party-affiliated television stations, including TV Pirveli.
“You, the representatives of party television stations, are involved in this. This is a coordinated campaign, and all of this is being organized from abroad,” Kobakhidze told journalist Rusudan Dumbadze. “Your party activists are walking on the beach with [Russophobic] banners, aren’t they? They are agents, and you are covering this by presenting it as people protesting against Russian tourists in Georgia,” he told the journalist.
“Postv”, sanctioned for disinformation, shared a comment by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Facebook, which serves to discredit the investigative media outlet “Monitor”.
In the description of the shared video, “Postv” writes: “The Prime Minister on the disinformation spread by Studio Monitor”.
A day before Prime Minister Kobakhidze’s statement, “Monitor” published a new journalistic investigation concerning the sale of the former “Sakartvelo” hotel building in the center of Tbilisi by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s family bank, “Cartu Bank”.
Irakli Kobakhidze called “Monitor’s” investigation “another manipulation”.
Prior to this, due to the same journalistic investigation, the Mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, attempted to discredit “Monitor”.
On July 18, “Adjara Times” published an article titled: “The road near the Batumi Cathedral has been blocked for more than an hour, allegedly due to Bera Ivanishvili.” The publication of the article was followed by a disinformation campaign against the founder of the publication, Sulkhan Meskhidze.
Supporters of “Georgian Dream” actively circulated posts on the social network Facebook aiming to discredit the journalist.
“The liar founder of ‘Adjara Times,’ Sulkhan Meskhidze, is not invited to crowded weddings when traffic gets disrupted; it is a cheap lie that the road was blocked for a wedding ceremony in Batumi because of the attendee Bera Ivanishvili,” wrote “Georgian Dream” supporter Gia Abashidze, among others, on Facebook.
Posts against Sulkhan Meskhidze were also published by “Dream” supporter Nino Pochkhua. These statements were later disseminated unchanged by, among others, “POSTV Analytics.“
POSTV also published on the social network disinformation directed against Sulkhan Meskhidze that was shared on the personal pages of “Georgian Dream” supporters Nikoloz Metreveli and David Chikheladze.
Tbilisi City Court Judge Tornike Kochkian has fined Vakho Sanaia, a journalist and TV host for the “Formula” television company, 6,000 GEL for opinions he expressed on a social network. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) accused the journalist of insulting state political officials. Social media posts published by Vakho Sanaia regarding the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, and Member of Parliament, Lado Bozhadze, were ruled to be administrative offenses.
Sanaia had already been fined 4,000 GEL once before for an opinion expressed on a social network. Therefore, the judge made the decision in accordance with the article designated for a repeat offense.
Administrative disputes against citizens for opinions expressed in public spaces are initiated based on protocols from the newly established “Department for the Fight Against Hate Speech” within the MIA. This new department has been operational within the Ministry of Internal Affairs since June 1. The department’s task is to monitor and proactively detect statements in the public sphere that damage human dignity, are insulting, or contain hate speech, provided they show signs of an administrative offense.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, between its launch and July 2, this department identified 170 alleged offenses, 150 of which have already been submitted to the court. Out of these 150 cases, decisions have already been made on 33—resulting in 31 individuals being fined and two receiving verbal warnings. The majority of those fined are citizens and activists. Vakho Sanaia is the first journalist to be fined based on a protocol from this department.
Within the scope of the criminal case launched against the “Formula” television company, a third employee of the channel, camera operator Misho Martashvili, was also summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia for questioning.
Following his questioning, the host of Shabatis Formula told Media Checker that by interviewing the camera operator, the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office had concluded its questioning of everyone who could potentially provide any kind of information to the investigation.
As a reminder, on June 16, 2026, the Investigative Division of the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal case against Formula TV under Article 373, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to false denunciation (false accusation). The investigation was initiated based on a statement filed by Goga Khaindrava, a film director and supporter of the “Georgian Dream” party. He accuses “Formula” of falsely implicating him in a potential crime. The case concerns reports broadcast on Shabatis Formula on December 20, 2025, and January 17, 2026. According to the source in these reports, Goga Khaindrava was bringing foreign citizens into Georgia in exchange for money. Reportedly, the Prosecutor’s Office is disputing the false denunciation against Formula’s source.
Within the scope of the same case, the author and host of the program, Davit Kashiashvili, and the journalist who authored the report, Natuka Lomidze, have already been questioned at the Prosecutor’s Office.
Due to the same reports, Goga Khaindrava also has an ongoing civil dispute against “Formula.” He is suing the television company for defamation and is demanding 10,000 GEL in compensation for moral damages.
According to the publication Chemi Kharagauli, the Kharagauli City Council removed their journalist, Nino Kapanadze, from a photo published on its official Facebook page. The journalist had attended a council session on July 6, which is when the photographs were taken. During the meeting, she was sitting next to the First Deputy Mayor; however, in the published photo, her seat appeared empty.
The outlet released the corresponding photographic evidence and noted that later, after the edited photo was sent to the First Deputy Mayor, the actual, unaltered shot was restored to the City Council’s Facebook page.
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics calls on the Kharagauli Municipal Council to ensure the transparency of council sessions, to refrain from falsifying photographs that reflect reality, and to create adequate working conditions for media representatives.
