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 March 15, 2025, Mountain Stories founder and editor Gela Mtivlishvili wrote on social media that he and a companion were attacked by police officers.
“We were returning to Tbilisi when a white pickup truck with the license plate BJ-573-BB started following us. Since it was creating a dangerous situation on the road, we pulled over. An armed employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and another person jumped out of the truck. The armed officer was shouting, asking why I hadn’t let him pass, cursing, and threatening me. When I tried to record the incident, he attacked me, struck me three times, and tried to take my phone. Eyewitnesses recorded the attack on video. The armed man demanded they delete the footage as well,” Mtivlishvili stated.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Gela Mtivlishvili has been targeted in attacks allegedly linked to Georgian Dream.
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 April 26, 2025, TV Pirveli aired an investigative report by journalist Maka Andronikashvili concerning a construction permit allegedly obtained through corrupt means on Levan Aleksidze Street.
During filming, the crew—journalist Maka Andronikashvili and her cameraman—were verbally abused and threatened with physical violence by Tamaz Kharaidze, the central figure in the investigation.
On April 17, 2025, TV channel Trialeti—journalist Shorena Bichikashvili and cameraman Soso Mchedlishvili—was attacked by a local resident in the village of Adzvi, located near the occupation line. The attacker verbally and physically assaulted them while they were performing their professional duties.
According to the journalist, the local resident verbally abused the crew members and threatened to destroy the camera. When the journalist attempted to record the incident on her phone, the individual tried to seize the phone from her and struck her. The crew called the police, and both were later summoned for questioning by the Special Investigative Service.
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics condemned the attack on the TV crew and called on the Special Investigative Service to carry out a prompt investigation.
On May 12, 2025, in Kvemo Kartli, a journalist and a cameraman from TV Pirveli, who were investigating the resignation of former Deputy Governor Giorgi Shinjikashvili, were physically attacked by the former official’s father.
According to the journalist, Mariam Makasarashvili, Shinjikashvili’s father slapped her in the face and physically attacked the channel’s cameraman as well. At the same time, he seized the TV station’s camera and the journalist’s personal mobile phone, which were returned only after 40 minutes. As a result of the attack, the journalist suffered a concussion and required medical assistance.
The crew immediately called the police. According to the broadcaster, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived an hour and 20 minutes later. The Special Investigative Service has launched an investigation into the incident.
According to the Media Advocacy Coalition, the incident “once again clearly highlights the critical state of media freedom and safety in the country.”
