Administrative body

Following a repeated attack on journalist Koba Partenadze, he was placed under administrative arrest

On August 16, in Batumi’s Europe Square, Adjara Public Broadcaster journalist and meteorologist Koba Partenadze was attacked again. According to Partenadze, police officers and an emergency medical service team were present at the scene.

This is not the first instance of an attack and threats against Koba Partenadze. Previously, Partenadze shared a video on social media where an unknown man can be heard threatening to take him aside and stab him. Two individuals were arrested in connection with this case. Later, the Batumi City Court imposed a bail of 7,000 GEL each as a preventive measure on the two individuals accused in the case involving violence and the threat of stabbing carried out against Partenadze.

On August 17, reports emerged that Koba Partenadze himself had been arrested. According to his lawyer, Partenadze was placed under administrative arrest at the 2nd division of the Batumi City Police Department and is currently being held in the Zestaponi temporary detention center. The lawyer stated that they are clarifying the grounds and motive for the arrest at this stage.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Partenadze was arrested on the grounds of petty hooliganism and disobedience to a lawful police demand. The agency stated that on August 16, while being interviewed as a witness in a criminal case related to him, Partenadze verbally abused law enforcement officers, which led to the initiation of administrative proceedings. The MIA also stated that during the night hours of August 17, Partenadze was disturbing public order in Batumi with loud cursing and swearing, refused to obey the demands of police officers, and insulted them.

On August 18, Judge Aleksandre Goguadze found Koba Partenadze guilty of an administrative offense and fined him 2,000 GEL.

The Campaign to Discredit Critical Media Continues

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.

ComCom Fines TV Pirveli for Second Content Violation

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.

The Communications Commission is accusing ‘Formula’ of an alleged content regulation violation for the third time

For the third time, the Communications Commission is disputing an alleged violation of the “Law on Broadcasting” by the television company “Formula.” The Commission discussed the issue at its July 17 session and fined “Formula” 5,000 GEL.

According to the Commission’s assessment, “Formula” violated Article 54 of the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting – “Fairness and Impartiality.” According to the official report, the monitoring of the 17:00 broadcasts of Formula News was conducted between June 15 and 17. The Commission considers that journalists in these news broadcasts occasionally expressed personal opinions and attitudes regarding current events, as “Formula” systematically uses phrases in the disputed segments such as: “the ‘Dream’ government,” “the ‘Georgian Dream’ President,” “‘Dream’s’ Prosecutor’s Office,” “‘Dream’s’ Prime Minister,” “‘Dream’s’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” “repressive laws,” and “repressions of the ‘Dream’ regime.”

At this stage, the Commission only applied a fine and did not resort to an alternative sanction, which, according to the legislation, involves suspending the television station’s broadcasting authorization. If the Commission establishes another violation by “Formula,” it will again be authorized to consider suspending the station’s broadcasting authorization or imposing an increased fine—not less than 10,000 GEL and not exceeding 3% of the company’s annual income. For the use of similar terms, the Communications Commission had already fined “Formula” 2,500 GEL on May 21 for violating the same article.

The case is being considered against the backdrop of recent, controversial amendments to the “Law on Broadcasting” concerning the content regulation of broadcasters. Under these amendments, expressing personal positions is restricted in news programs and during the coverage of public policy issues (with the exception of author-driven editorial programs). Additionally, new rules were established regarding the right of reply and the gathering and dissemination of information through covert methods.

On March 6, the Communications Commission announced that it would begin enforcing the norms established by the “Law on Broadcasting” and the “Broadcasters’ Code of Conduct” in practice and would start monitoring broadcasters. At the time, the Commission pointed out that for almost a year, it had only reacted to complaints and had not initiated administrative proceedings against broadcasters on its own initiative.

Civil Activist Nino Kalandia’s Bank Account Seized for the Second Time

On 7 July 2026, the personal bank account of civil activist Nino Kalandia, the mother of a child with a disability, was seized for the second time in connection with her participation in protest rallies. According to Kalandia, five additional fines issued against her have been submitted to the National Bureau of Enforcement.

Kalandia’s bank accounts were first seized on 29 May over her participation in protest rallies. At that time, the seizure was imposed both on her personal bank account and on the pension account of her 13-year-old child with a disability, which had been opened in her name.

TV Host Vakho Sanaia Fined Over Social Media Posts

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.

Misho Martashvili, a camera operator and the third ‘Formula’ employee, has been summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia

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.

Kharagauli City Council cropped out Nino Kapanadze, a journalist for ‘Chemi Kharagauli’, from a photo

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.

Formula TV journalist Natuka Lomadze summoned to Prosecutor’s Office

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.

Parliament Suspends Accreditation of “TV Pirveli” Journalist Nata Kajaia for One Year

The Parliament has suspended the accreditation of “TV Pirveli” journalist Nata Kajaia for a period of one year. The Parliament’s decision regarding this was made public by journalist and TV presenter Nodar Meladze.

The reason for the one-year suspension of Nata Kajaia’s accreditation was recording an interview with a Member of Parliament despite their refusal.

The Parliament had previously made decisions against Nata Kajaia twice—first in 2024, and the next time in 2025, when the journalist’s accreditation was suspended for a period of six months.

The tightening of rules for the media in the legislative body began in February 2023. Several security measures were introduced in the Parliament, during which non-accredited journalists are banned from entering the Parliament. Also, it became possible to suspend a journalist’s accreditation based on a Member of Parliament’s request. Furthermore, from January 1, 2026, a new rule for issuing one-time special accreditation came into force, which also created additional barriers for journalists. All these measures have been repeatedly used against journalists.