Georgian Dream Party

Tea Tsulukiani also won the defamation lawsuit against Nanuka Zhorzholiani in the Supreme Court

Tea Tsulukiani also won the defamation lawsuit against TV host Nanuka Zhorzholiani in the Supreme Court.

The dispute concerned a Facebook post published by Zhorzholiani on April 12, 2025, in which she wrote that Tea Tsulukiani’s father, Judge Avtandil Tsulukiani, had sentenced specific individuals to death by firing squad. A corresponding list was attached to the post.

In court, Tea Tsulukiani demanded that the phrase used in the post—”Tsulukiani’s father executed the following people”—be deemed defamatory. Tsulukiani also requested that another statement in the same post be recognized as defamation, according to which, during the transitional period when capital punishment was being abolished, Judge Tsulukiani could have applied an alternative maximum sentence.

Nanuka Zhorzholiani’s defense argued that the information had been obtained from public sources and that the post fell within the scope protected by freedom of expression.

According to Zhorzholiani, she intends to appeal the Supreme Court’s decision to the European Court of Human Rights.

According to director Uta Beria, the Film Center is trying to restrict the screening of the film ‘Tear Gas’

According to director Uta Beria, the Georgian National Film Center sent a warning letter to the production company ahead of the world premiere of the film “Tear Gas,” stating that the company would face a financial penalty if the film were screened publicly. Beria noted that the Film Center also sent a letter with similar content to the Locarno International Film Festival.

The director states that the problems began as early as the film’s production stage. According to him, the National Film Center withheld part of the funding secured through a competition victory in 2022—almost half of the 500,000 GEL—for unspecified reasons. In Beria’s assessment, the Film Center initially tried to hinder the completion of the film, and is now attempting to prevent it from reaching audiences.

The film “Tear Gas” was partially shot during the ongoing protests in Tbilisi. Beria dedicated the award he received at the Locarno International Film Festival to Mate Devidze, who was arrested during the 2024 pro-European protests and whom he described as “the youngest political prisoner in Georgia.”

According to the Film Center, the production company received 279,625 GEL from the state budget for the film’s production. The agency explained that because the production company failed to submit the completed version of the film to the National Film Center “in accordance with established procedures,” granting permission for its public screening became impossible. The Film Center noted that these circumstances were also communicated to the Locarno Film Festival.

Despite this, the Locarno International Film Festival kept the film in the competition, giving audiences the opportunity to view it. The film won an independent jury prize at the festival.

Director Beso Solomonashvili considers the Film Center’s actions to be censorship. He stated that this is “authoritarian regime censorship” targeting a film that is inconvenient for the government. In Solomonashvili’s assessment, the government is attempting to silence directors, writers, and artists because “worthy art is the truth, and a dictatorial regime does not need the truth.”

“TV Pirveli” views statements from the Prosecutor’s Office and “Georgian Dream” MPs as an attempt to pressure the investigative journalists of “Shabatis Eteri”

A report aired on April 25 by “TV Pirveli’s” investigative program, “Shabatis Eteri” (Saturday Broadcast), was followed by a series of statements directed against the television company. The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia accuses the station of spreading disinformation.

Specifically, the program “Nodar Meladze’s Saturday” prepared an investigative report regarding Bezhan Bezhuashvili, the father of Tamar Bezhuashvili, a prosecutor involved in high-profile cases. Tamar Bezhuashvili is leading the cases of Paata Burchuladze, Irakli Nadiradze, Murtaz Zodelava, Paata Manjgaladze, and Lasha Beridze. According to the journalistic investigation, the prosecutor’s father defrauded business partners, thereby seizing their shares, funds, and real estate. The report also discusses the prosecutor’s alleged influence, which may be the reason for the delay in the legal proceedings initiated against Bezhan Bezhuashvili.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia released a statement regarding this matter, calling the “TV Pirveli” material “yet another disinformation report.” According to the agency, the television company “is deliberately preparing a report for the second time regarding the business activities of the prosecutor’s father and is completely unjustifiably linking them to Tamar Bezhuashvili’s professional activities.”

“The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia will not allow such attacks on the prosecutors of high-profile criminal cases, which aim to discredit the prosecutor and the agency, and will respond accordingly,” the statement reads.

Journalist Nodar Meladze also responded to the incident, noting that the attack on the “Shabatis Eteri” team is intended to pressure journalists:

“We, the investigative project ‘Shabatis Eteri’ of ‘TV Pirveli,’ consider the orchestrated attacks on our team as pressure on journalists. The goal of these actions is to force media representatives to cease their professional activities and refuse to prepare investigative reports. For the second day now, a series of attacks by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and ‘Georgian Dream’ MPs has been underway against the investigative journalists of the ‘Shabatis Eteri’ program.””TV Pirveli” views statements from the Prosecutor’s Office and “Georgian Dream” MPs as an attempt to pressure the investigative journalists of “Shabatis Eteri”

TV Pirveli Satellite Broadcasting Cut Off Due to Financial Debt

On March 11, 2026, it was revealed that TV Pirveli’s satellite broadcasting had been cut off due to financial debt. According to the television station, the costs associated with satellite and open-air broadcasting have become too high for them to continue covering.

The channel is now appealing to its viewers for assistance and has published an account number for donations. “We are launching a new campaign! With your participation, you can help share TV Pirveli’s broadcast with all of Georgia and the emigrants watching us via satellite across Europe and Asia,” reads the statement issued by TV Pirveli.

While the channel’s live broadcasts remain available online and through paid television platforms such as Magti and Silknet, the cutoff means that viewers in regions and remote areas—where such services are less accessible or rarely used—will no longer have access to the station’s programming.

TV Pirveli is not an isolated case. Recently, many media outlets in Georgia have faced financial hardships as a result of the “Georgian Dream” party’s repressive legislative policies, which are aimed at restricting independent and critical media.

“Georgian Dream” Denies OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Permission to Meet with Detained Journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli

On March 10, 2026, it was revealed that the “Georgian Dream” government denied a visiting delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly permission to visit the founder of the publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, in prison.

“We requested to visit the prisoners who are in jail, particularly the Sakharov Prize laureate [Mzia Amaghlobeli]. We expressed this to the Prime Minister, the President of the country, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Speaker of Parliament. And they replied to us: No,” stated Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, during his official visit to Georgia while speaking with journalists.

This fact is also confirmed by a statement released by the delegation regarding their visit to Georgia. This is not the first time “Georgian Dream” has prevented an international delegation from visiting journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli. In November 2025, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) who were in Tbilisi attempted to visit the detained journalist, but were refused entry to her prison cell. Similarly, in May 2025, a delegation of MEPs in Tbilisi was also unable to obtain permission to see Mzia Amaghlobeli.

“Georgian Dream” Assigns Enforcement of the So-Called “Russian Law” to the State Audit Office

“Georgian Dream” has introduced a legislative amendment in Parliament that transfers the enforcement of the so-called “Russian Law” (the Law “on Transparency of Foreign Influence”) to the State Audit Office.

The explanatory note states that since the Audit Office already monitors and enforces the “Foreign Agents Registration Act” (so-called FARA) and the Law on Grants, it is considered appropriate for the same agency to oversee the execution of this law as well. The authors of the amendments are “Georgian Dream” MPs: Archil Gorduladze, Tornike Cheishvili, Rati Ionatamishvili, Aluda Ghudushauri, Davit Matikashvili, Guram Macharashvili, Akaki Aladashvili, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, and Aleksandre Tabatadze.

The so-called “Russian Law,” originally initiated in 2023, requires civil society organizations and independent media with Western funding to register in a special registry. Critics refer to it as the “Russian Law” due to its similarity to the “foreign agents” legislation in effect in Russia. The bill sparked large-scale protests in Georgia and drew international criticism, leading to its suspension in 2023. However, in April 2024, the ruling party reintroduced the project to Parliament and officially passed it on May 28, 2024, after overriding a presidential veto.

The law mandates that organizations with foreign funding submit annual financial declarations and provides for sanctions in cases of non-compliance. This law has served as the foundation for a series of subsequent repressive legislative changes aimed at suppressing critical voices and restricting the activities of civil society and independent media in the country.

Another Attack by “Georgian Dream” on “Batumelebi”/“Netgazeti” Founder Mzia Amaglobeli

On October 10, 2025, the Georgian Dream referred to the founder of “Batumelebi”/“Netgazeti”, the prisoner Mzia Amaglobeli, as a perpetrator and “executor of the tasks of the deep state”. This statement by the Georgian Dream followed the presentation of the IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero Award to Mzia Amaglobeli.

“The decision to present the Hero Award to a criminal who deliberately attacked the police and with this action slapped not one specific law enforcement officer, but the entire system and the state, is another act of impudence, a mockery of Georgian society, a mockery of free speech and free media”, – said the press service of the Georgian Dream, Giorgi Grdzelishvili, at a briefing.
It is worth noting that this briefing was largely devoted to the topic of presenting the award to Mzia Amaglobeli. “The presentation of the Hero Award to Mzia Amaglobeli clearly shows the difficult situation of the international media, the international press…”, – said the spokesperson of the “Georgian Dream” at a special briefing.

On October 9, 2025, it became known that Mzia Amaglobeli, who was sentenced to 2 years in prison by the “Georgian Dream” court for slapping a police officer, is among the winners of the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero Award. The award is established by the International Press Institute IPI-IMS. A total of 7 journalists were named as the winners of the 2025 award. “This year’s award winners are examples of the threats facing journalists around the world, as authoritarianism takes hold, impunity prevails, and new challenges arise for freedom of expression,” – said the Executive Director of the IPI.

“Radio Marneuli” became the target of censorship and threats from members of “Georgian Dream”

Individuals associated with the ruling party, “Georgian Dream,” demanded that Radio Marneuli delete information about one of the party’s candidates, threatening legal action in court if the demand was not met.

The incident occurred on September 9, 2025. According to Radio Marneuli, they had shared a post on social media from an activist regarding alleged crimes of Gamlet Ismailov, the “Georgian Dream” majoritarian candidate in Dmanisi. The activist wrote that the party candidate had married his own underage student years ago in the Karabulakhi community of Dmanisi, where he also served as the school director. The post further mentioned that Ismailov allegedly concealed information about the forced marriage of another underage student at the school, who later became a victim of femicide.

After sharing this post, the editorial office received multiple calls from the candidate’s representatives, first demanding the post be deleted, and later threatening legal action.

Following this incident, the current mayor of Dmanisi, Koba Muradashvili, also associated with “Georgian Dream,” threatened Radio Marneuli with a lawsuit after a journalist called him for a comment on the information.

Six journalists injured near Tbilisi mayoral candidate, Kakha Kaladze’s, campaign headquarters

On September 8, 2025, while covering a rally outside the election headquarters of Georgian Dream’s Tbilisi mayoral candidate, Kakha Kaladze, party supporters and law enforcement officers assaulted journalists, verbally abused them, and confiscated mobile phones. One journalist required medical treatment.

According to the online outlet Publika two reporters, Aleksandre Keshelashvili and Keto Mikadze, were physically assaulted by Georgian Dream supporters while on assignment, and their mobile phones were seized. With the help of a Netgazeti journalist, they recovered only one device Keshelashvili’s phone [timecode: 1:14–1:20]. The outlet reports that it has video evidence showing who took the other phone and has called on that individual to return it, and on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to respond to the theft of editorial equipment and interference in journalistic work.

According to online Netgazeti, a police officer swore at its reporter Ketevan Khutsishvili, physically grabbed and dragged her, and interfered with her work while she was broadcasting live and filming the confrontation outside the headquarters, including the attack on the colleague – Aleksandre Keshelashvili. “They used rude and vulgar gestures to swear. Then a policeman came up to me, saying, ‘Don’t provoke me,’ grabbed me by the arms and dragged me. Then a second and a third came, and one of the policemen cursed me. After that, a man in a blue shirt came and also cursed me. Finally, they dragged me and threw me among the policemen, and one of them even grabbed my hand,” Khutsishvili says. [Video material, timecode: 0:30–2:32]

A Georgian Dream supporter poured a bottle of water over Mariam Nikuradze, OC Media’s founder and photojournalist, as she filmed police clearing protesters. “At that moment, one of the Georgian Dream supporters approached me and poured a whole bottle of water on my head in the presence of the police. The police didn’t say anything to him, I pushed him aside,” Nikuradze told MediaChecker.

An investigative journalist with Studio Monitor, Keti Tutberidze was also poured a bottle of water while she was performing her professional duties.

Hungarian journalist László Róbert Mézes suffered serious physical injuries after being assaulted by Georgian Dream supporters, who also attempted to seize his phone. He required medical attention.

The Media Advocacy Coalition condemned the incidents, stating that “attacks on independent media and impunity for perpetrators are part of Georgian Dream’s consistent policy,” and expressed solidarity with journalists “forced to perform their professional duties under a violent regime.”

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics “strongly condemns” the violence against journalists “against the backdrop of the criminal inaction and indifference of the police,” calling on the Ministry of Internal Affairs for an immediate response and on the Prosecutor’s Office to conduct an effective investigation.

Members of “Georgian Dream” and the police verbally and physically harassed journalists from “Publika”

On September 3, 2025, Beka Odisharia, a member of “Georgian Dream,” former MP, and candidate for Tbilisi City Council, verbally insulted “Publika” journalist Mindia Gabazde. Other members and supporters of “Georgian Dream” verbally and physically harassed and spat on the publication’s editor, Lika Zakashvili. The police, instead of protecting Zakashvili, interfered with her work by forcing her to stop filming through physical restraint.

The incidents occurred during the opening of the election campaign headquarters of “Georgian Dream” Tbilisi mayoral candidate Kakha Kaladze. The event took place against the backdrop of a protest, and journalists were attempting to cover the events.

Video footage recorded by “Publika” shows Beka Odisharia speaking insultingly to Mindia Gabazde after the journalist asked him a question. In the same episode, Odisharia also verbally abuses protest participants and other journalists present.

Lika Zakashvili became a target of “Georgian Dream” supporters when she tried to film their insulting actions toward activists. One person struck her and tried to take her mobile phone, then another approached from behind and spat on her. The footage shows that law enforcement did not intervene. On the contrary, in a subsequent clip, a police officer physically tried to stop Zakashvili from filming.

According to the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, “Impunity for crimes against journalists encourages perpetrators and drives them to commit more offenses.” The Charter calls on “Georgian Dream” to put an end to such practices, take responsibility, and ensure a safe working environment for journalists.

The Media Advocacy Coalition emphasized that this is not the first instance of violence against journalists by “Georgian Dream” supporters. “Under Bidzina Ivanishvili’s governance, we see systemic violence against independent media. Repressive legislation has been enacted against independent media. All of these incidents are part of a coordinated strategy aimed at suppressing independent media and critical voices in the country,” the coalition said.

UPDATE: Based on a complaint filed with the prosecutor’s office, on September 11, 2025, “Publika” editor-in-chief Lika Zakashvili was questioned. The prosecutor’s office opened a case based on Zakashvili’s statement.