On July 14, Tbilisi Court of Appeals Judge Shalva Kakauridze dismissed the appeal of the employees of “Real Space” (Realuri Sivrce)—a program closed by the Public Broadcaster—regarding their dismissal from the television station.
Ketevan Kapanadze, Ioseb Katsitadze, Tamar Mshvenieradze, Omar Tsotsoria, and Tukha Kvinikadze were demanding the annulment of their dismissal order. The Court of Appeals left the decision of Tbilisi City Court Judge Liana Kazhashvili unchanged.
On April 11, 2025, the Public Broadcaster dismissed the host of “Real Space,” Nino Zautashvili, and the host of “Moambe,” Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani. From May 1, the program “Real Space” was closed, and the contracts of those team members who refused new offers were terminated.
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.
Within the scope of the criminal case launched against the “Formula” television company, another journalist from the channel and author of the report, Natuka Lomadze, was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia. The journalist’s questioning lasted for three hours.
“The investigator was interested in how I, as a journalist, worked on this report. Who were the people with whom I attempted to verify the information our source was telling us? Of course, there were many such people,” the journalist told Media Checker.
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 the show Shabatis Formula (Saturday’s 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, was also 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.
On July 1, 2026, a coordinated cyberattack was launched against the online platforms of the investigative journalistic agency “Studio Monitor.”
According to the outlet, the media organization became a target after publishing an investigative report titled “Trump Tower” in Tbilisi – A Fraudulent Online Casino Network and Russian Connections. The publication reported that a group of users began mass-reporting (“dereporting”) all materials on YouTube and Facebook/Instagram that detailed the potential links between Georgian construction companies and an unlicensed online casino network. “Studio Monitor” has recently published two investigative reports on this topic.
“As a result of this coordinated cyberattack, META notified us that several of ‘Monitor’s’ materials had been removed from their platforms, and one video was taken down from YouTube—specifically those concerning the ties between Georgian companies and the unlicensed online casino network. Furthermore, we received an email from an address linked to various fraudulent networks, demanding the removal of our investigative report from the ‘Monitor’ website,” the outlet’s statement reads.
“Monitor” has appealed the decisions made by YouTube and Meta and is currently working to identify who is behind this coordinated attack.
Keti Tutberidze, a journalist for Formula TV’s investigative program “Saturday Formula”, was verbally abused by an unidentified individual.
The incident occurred in the city of Gori, where the journalist was preparing an investigative report on the beating of a citizen by police officers. The broadcast footage reveals that, near the residence of one of the police officers accused of the assault, an unknown individual in a vehicle with tinted windows confronted the journalist. The person defended the police officer while swearing at and verbally assaulting the journalist.
On June 1, during a televised debate on “Rustavi 2,” Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze referred to the investigative Studio “Monitor” as a media outlet that “spreads lies.” Furthermore, he labeled one of the studio’s journalists as “ignorant” and “uneducated.”
The theme of the “Rustavi 2” debate centered on the challenges facing the capital. The Mayor’s visible irritation was triggered by a question from opposition politician Nika Oboladze. The inquiry concerned alleged corrupt deals involving the Mayor’s deputies, specifically Vice Mayor Irakli Khmaladze.Rather than directly addressing the issue, the Mayor of Tbilisi attempted to evade the question with the following response [Timecode: 1:05-1:06]: “He relied on Studio ‘Monitor,’ an outlet that has been caught in lies and fabrications. Including regarding me, by the way, on several occasions. Just recently, a few days ago, I caught a journalist in a blatant lie and exposed them… This is a clear example of how fabrications are manufactured in Georgia. Some ignorant, uneducated so-called journalist makes accusations, then an element posing as a politician repeats them, and you are left having to come out and defend yourself.”რუსთავი 2
Studio “Monitor” has published numerous investigative reports concerning corruptdeals linked to the Mayor of Tbilisi, including those involving Irakli Khmaladze. One of their most recent films, released on May 8, focused on the construction businesses of Kakha Kaladze’s friend, Giorgi Barvenashvili.
Note: It is worth noting that Kakha Kaladze has a history of using offensive and derogatory language toward journalists. The CMIS has documented numerous instances of such behavior.
On the evening of June 6, photographer Levan Zazadze, who was covering the “Saturday March,” was attacked by an unidentified individual near the Philharmonic.
The assailant first subjected him to verbal abuse before physically striking him, causing injuries to his face. The attacker was carrying a “Glovo” delivery bag and traveling on a scooter. He was eventually escorted from the scene by the police; however, eyewitnesses reported that the law enforcement’s response was delayed.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has launched an investigation into the incident under Article 126 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to violence. Despite this, it remains unknown whether the attacker has been formally arrested. Shortly after the incident, photos circulated in the media showing the assailant standing with police officers without handcuffs.The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics has called on the MIA to punish these attacker in accordance with the law and to make a concerted effort to ensure a safe working environment for media professionals.
“The police’s indifferent attitude toward such crimes encourages violence aggressive individuals perceive journalists as easy targets,” the Charter noted in its statement.
Journalists Giorgi Akhalkatsi (Kartlis Ambebi) and Lado Bichashvili (TV Company Formula), who filmed an incident of police violence against a citizen in Gori, Shida Kartli, were summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning. The journalists spent several hours at the investigative agency.
On May 27, in the Kombinati settlement of Gori, up to ten police officers brutally assaulted two local citizens during an arrest. The journalists filmed the footage of the beating from the window of a residential building, having witnessed the incident purely by chance. The circulation of the video material on public networks triggered a significant public outcry, forcing the law enforcement agency to launch an investigation into the incident.
The Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation under the article of alleged abuse of official power involving violence by police officers. On May 28, it was announced that six law enforcement officers had been arrested in connection with the incident.
