At a press conference held on January 21, “Georgian Dream” supporter Goga Khaindrava announced that he is suing tv “Formula.”
On January 17, “Shabatis Formula” (Saturday Formula) aired a report about Goga Khaindrava. According to the report, Khaindrava is allegedly involved in corruption schemes.
After the report was broadcast, the show’s host, Davit Kashiashvili, stated that he received a threatening letter from an unknown individual. The author of the threat wrote to the journalist: “Tbilisi is a small city… take care of yourself, buddy.”
Davit Kashiashvili personally announced this during a live broadcast of the program, thereby notifying the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia about the matter.
On January 17, after an investigative report aired on Saturday Formula about the possible involvement of “Georgian Dream” supporter Goga Khaindrava in corruption schemes, the program’s host, Davit Kashiashvili, received a threatening message on social media from an unknown person. The author of the threat wrote to the journalist: “Tbilisi is a small city… take care of yourself, buddy.”
Davit Kashiashvili announced the incident himself during the program’s live broadcast, thereby informing the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. It is also noteworthy that a few weeks earlier Saturday Formula had prepared a report on Goga Khaindrava’s property, after the broadcast of which the director publicly stated his intention to file a lawsuit against the television company.
According to the assessment of the Charter of Journalistic Ethics, this case of threats against a journalist is particularly alarming against the backdrop of inadequate protection of journalists’ safety in Georgia. The organization calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to immediately investigate the incident and ensure the journalist’s safety.
On January 8, 2026, the website of the news agency CNews went offline. When attempting to access the site, a message appeared stating, “Disconnected due to outstanding debt.” On the same day, employees of the agency and of the newspaper Kronika Plus (which share the same founder) were unable to enter the editorial office building, as they found that the door lock had been changed.
The founder of the outlets, Eliso Kiladze, blamed the incident on her former business partner, who is also the owner of the business center where the newsrooms are located. According to her, the website had no outstanding debts, and its shutdown could have been carried out by the former business partner, who had access to the site. Eliso Kiladze linked the problem to a dispute with her former business partner and described it as an act of retaliation.
The organization “Journalistic Ethics Charter” called on the relevant authorities to promptly look into the incident and to “immediately ensure that the journalistic staff of CNews and the newspaper Kronika Plus are granted access to their workplace, that their computers are not damaged, and that unauthorized individuals do not gain access to the information stored on their electronic devices.”
The TV channel Euronews Georgia is changing its format and, starting in 2026, will no longer cover news from Georgia. In an official statement, the channel linked this decision to financial resources.
“Analysis of the financial situation revealed that, given the trends in the television advertising market in Georgia, the current broadcasting model of the channel cannot generate sufficient financial resources to cover the channel’s operating expenses and the financial obligations under the franchise agreement with Euronews SA. Considering the above factors, a decision has been made, within the company’s strategic development framework, to transition the channel to a new format,” the statement said.
According to the same statement, under the updated model, the main focus will be on international content adapted for the Georgian audience.
Euronews Georgia was founded in 2019 by the international channel Euronews and its partner Silknet. The chairman of Silknet’s supervisory board is businessman Giorgi Ramishvili. The channel began broadcasting in Georgia in 2020. In the past two years, seven media outlets in Georgia have ceased operations for various reasons.
Gia Gachechiladze, a supporter of “Georgian Dream” and host of the show “Ai Ucnobi” referred to Mzia Amaghlobel, founder of Netgazeti/Batumelebi and journalist, using insulting epithets.
“I would also punch Mzia Amaghlobeli and throw her out; she pretends to be a media luminary, not a Sakharov Prize winner, but just an ordinary abuser,” said Gia Gachechiladze. Gachechiladze is known for making offensive statements against independent non-governmental organizations and journalists.
Mzia Amaghlobeli was first detained administratively on January 11, 2025, and a few hours later, on January 12, was taken into criminal custody. On August 6, 2025, the Batumi City Court sentenced the journalist to two years in prison, a decision later upheld by the Kutaisi Court of Appeal.
On October 17, the security guards of the TV “Pirveli” did not allow the camera crew to move around the area surrounding the residential building of Otar Partskhaladze and interfered with their activities.
Due to high public interest, the journalist tried to film the situation near the house of former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, but the security guards on site stepped forward and did not allow the journalist to approach the house, at which time they restricted the possibility of filming.
On the same day, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia held a briefing, where acting Prosecutor Giorgi Gvarakidze stated that searches were conducted in the homes of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, former Head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili, and former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze. The Prosecutor’s Office has not specified under which articles the investigation is ongoing, whether the case is related to a new investigation, and whether the arrest of former high-ranking officials is planned.
On October 4, 2025, on the day of the local government elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition), agitators from the Georgian Dream, Nato Gogelia, verbally confronted a journalist from TV Pirveli at one of the polling stations in Batumi. They first tried to prevent him from filming by covering his camera with their hands, and then cursed at the journalist.
Their irritation followed the journalist’s attempt to find out why they were standing at the polling station with lists and why they were registering voters.
On October 4, 2025, during the local government elections (which the opposition and a large part of society consider illegitimate), numerous cases of obstruction of work, threats, and verbal and physical abuse against media representatives were recorded.
Publicly reported incidents:
- Verbal attack on journalists
- Kakha Kaladze, the candidate for mayor of Tbilisi from the Georgian Dream, called journalists “impudent”. The incident took place at the 64th polling station in Tbilisi. After voting, Kakha Kaladze was talking about the protection of freedom of speech and expression in the country. A “Formula” journalist asked him what this meant, to which he replied – “There is some politeness, there is ethics, I understand that you have neither one nor the other.”
- The president of the Georgian Dream, Mikheil Kavelashvili, called TV Pirveli journalist Ina Tsartsidze a “liar” and a representative of a “liar television.” “You, your bosses, are deceiving the youth, the society, that we are illegitimate,” Kavelashvili replied to the journalist, who was trying to get an answer from him whether US President Donald Trump had contacted him.
- Former Prime Minister of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Gharibashvili, called journalists from TV Pirveli and Formula “scoundrels” and “main fakers” at the 11th polling station in Tbilisi. His response followed questions from journalists about whether he himself was expecting to be arrested, since everyone around him is being detained.
- Cases of interference with work of journalists were reported
4. At Akhaltsikhe polling station No. 6, the chairman of the precinct commission restricted journalist Nuka Stepnadze of the publication “Samkhretis Karibche” from filming at the polling station. He told the journalist that he could only film for 10 minutes. According to the publication, the chairman of the commission only allowed the journalist to continue working after the district commission contacted him and explained the rules.
5. In Batumi, at one of the polling stations, a journalist from “TV Pirveli” journalist, Nato Gogelia, was verbally confronted by agitators from the “Georgian Dream”. They first tried to prevent him from filming by covering his camera with their hands, and then cursed at the journalist. Their irritation followed the journalist’s attempt to find out why they were standing at the polling station with lists and why they were registering voters.
On May 31, 2025, during the broadcast of “Nodar Meladze’s Shabati” on “TV Pirveli,” journalist Tamta Dolenjashvili presented an investigative report about former members of the “Georgian Dream” party being fictitiously employed in high-paying positions at various state-owned companies. The journalist approached one such individual, Luka Kurtanidze—a former “Georgian Dream” MP—at the Georgian Parliament building to ask questions, but was met with physical violence.
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.
