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Another employee of TV “Formula,” Nika Pataraia was arrested

On October 25, 2025, TV company “Formula’s” cameraman Nika Pataraia was detained. The court sentenced Pataraia to 4 days of administrative detention for blocking the road.

A total of 7 journalists/cameramen have been detained for blocking the road, including 4 representatives of TV company “Formula.”

The new legislative changes adopted by “Georgian Dream” significantly restrict freedom of assembly and expression. Citizens and activists are also being arrested for participating in the pro-European protest.

Journalist Basti Mgaloblishvili from the online outlet Publika was arrested but released a few hours later

On October 24, Publika journalist Basti Mgaloblishvili was arrested and released a few hours later.

According to Publika, Mgaloblishvili was told that he had been “mistaken for someone else” and was then released.

“They stopped a taxi near my house, dragged me out of the car like a terrorist. Two of them weren’t in uniform. Only the one in the car waiting for me was wearing one. They snatched my phone and locked me inside the vehicle. At the same time, they kept saying I wasn’t under arrest… They knew exactly who I was — this so-called ‘special operation’ was meant to intimidate me and pressure independent media,” Mgaloblishvili said after his release.

Similarly, several other journalists were arrested and sentenced to prison during protest demonstrations — including Formula TV reporters Vakho Sanaia, Keta Tsitskishvili, and Tsira Zhvania, as well as Georgian Public Broadcaster board member Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze and journalist Afgan Sadigov.

Journalist Lika Basilaia-Shavgulidze, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Georgian Public Broadcaster, was arrested for participating in a protest

On October 22, 2025, Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze, a member of the Georgian Public Broadcaster Supervisory Board, was arrested at a protest.

Footage shows the journalist standing on the sidewalk, addressing the police. She was neither wearing a mask nor blocking the road.

Police used excessive force to detain Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze. Later, her lawyer reported that she sustained injuries to her neck during the arrest.

Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze is the fifth journalist to be detained since the ruling Georgian Dream party passed new restrictive legislative amendments in Parliament.

The Georgian Dream Parliament introduced several changes to laws that further limit the freedoms of assembly and expression. Over 80 people have been detained in the past few days under these changes.

The arrest of journalists by Georgian Dream is a direct attack on media freedom and freedom of expression. Under such conditions, the work of independent media faces serious threats, significantly restricting the public’s right to be informed, according to a statement by the Media Advocacy Coalition.

Another journalist, Afgan Sadigov, was detained for participating in a protest

On Wednesday, October 22, Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov was detained at a protest for blocking the road.

Judge Zviad Tsekvava sentenced the journalist to 14 days of administrative imprisonment.

In recent days, journalists from the TV company “Formula” — Vakho Sanaia, Keta Tsitskishvili, and Tsira Zhvania — were detained on the grounds of blocking the road.

The Parliament of “Georgian Dream” passed amendments to the law that further restrict freedom of assembly and expression. Based on the amendment, more than 80 people have been detained in the past few days.

Both local and international organizations have reacted to the detention of journalists.

“The detention of journalists by ‘Georgian Dream’ is a direct attack on media and freedom of expression. Under such conditions, the work of independent media is under serious threat, which significantly limits the democratic society’s right to be informed,” states the Media Advocacy Coalition’s statement.

Another “Formula” journalist, Tsira Zhvania, was detaned for participating in the protest

On Tuesday, October 21, Tsira Zhvania, a social media journalist for TV Company “Formula”, was detaned for blocking a road during a protest. According to the TV company, she was met by two police officers at her home.

The Tbilisi City Court sentenced the journalist to 10 days of administrative detention.

This is the third case when, based on the tightened legislation, journalists have been detained on the grounds of blocking a road during a protest. On October 19, Vakho Sanaia, a journalist and TV presenter for TV Company “Formula”, was arrested and sentenced to 6 days in prison. On October 20, Keta Tsitskishvili, a journalist for the same TV company, was arrested and sentenced to 5 days in prison. “The arrest of journalists by the Georgian Dream is a direct attack on the freedom of the media and expression. In such conditions, the activities of independent media are facing serious threats, which significantly restricts the right of a democratic society to be informed,” the Media Advocacy Coalition said in a statement.

Journalist Keta Tsitskishvili detaned for participating in protest

On Monday, October 20, journalist and TV presenter Keta Tsitskishvili from the TV company Formula was detaned. According to media reports, she is accused of blocking a road. A day earlier, on October 19, journalist Vakho Sanaia was detaned on the same charge and sentenced to five days in prison.

The Media Advocacy Coalition condemned Tsitskishvili’s arrest, calling it an act of pressure and an attack on independent media.

“The arrest of journalists by Georgian Dream is a direct assault on the media and freedom of expression. Under such conditions, the work of independent media faces serious threats, severely limiting the public’s right to information in a democratic society,” the coalition said in a statement.

Journalist Vakho Sanaia detaned for participating in protest

On October 19, Vakho Sanaia, a journalist and TV presenter for the TV company Formula, was detained. He is accused of blocking a road, and the Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to six days of administrative detention.

That same day, police also arrested several other participants of the rally, accusing them of blocking the road and covering their faces during the protest. The ruling Georgian Dream party recently tightened legislation, replacing fines with imprisonment for concealing one’s face at rallies.

The Media Advocacy Coalition condemned the journalist’s arrest, calling it “a gross violation of media freedom and freedom of speech.”

Incidents of Interference, Violence, and Damage to Media Equipment During the October 4 Rally

On October 4, 2025, a large-scale protest rally in Tbilisi witnessed numerous cases of verbal and physical attacks on media representatives, obstruction of their work, and damage to equipment. For the first time during this rally, some online media outlets were unable to operate their Drone cameras, likely due to an artificial disruption.

Publicly reported incidents:

For Studio Monitor journalist Keti Tutberidze, two employees of the criminal police tried to interfere with her work and take away her phone. The incident occurred when the journalist was trying to film the arrest of citizens. “Special forces rushed to Orbeliani Square to arrest two citizens, one of whom is Irakli Tsulaia. “I was filming and two employees of the criminal police rushed at me with a roar, grabbed my hand and tried to take away my phone,” Tutberidze wrote in a post.
A tear gas canister was allegedly fired at the camera crew of TV Pirveli – journalist Irakli Bakhtadze and his cameraman, reportedly hitting the helmet Bakhtadze was wearing. The incident occurred while they were broadcasting live from the Presidential Palace on Orbeliani Square. In the video footage released by the TV company, the sound of tear gas being fired and canisters falling and exploding can be heard. At that time, the protesters had already left the surrounding area. There was no prior warning before the shooting. The journalist and cameraman were not injured.
Radio Liberty journalist Giorgi Diasamidze was physically and verbally assaulted by police. In a video released by the publication, the journalist can be heard explaining to the law enforcement officer that he is a journalist and asking why he is interfering with his work.
Niko Kokaia, a cameraman for TV Pirveli, was injured twice while covering the events at the rally. The first incident, as the TV company reports, occurred on Atoneli Street, near the presidential residence. Kokaia became incapacitated after the Special Tasks Department fired tear gas canisters. He required emergency medical assistance.
The second incident occurred at Orbeliani Square. According to information released by the TV company, the cameraman was allegedly hit in the leg by a gas capsule.
According to information released by the Public Broadcaster, a protester allegedly threw an “unknown liquid” at the news program “Moambe,” injuring journalist Shalva Sumbadze and cameraman Nika Tsirekidze.
According to Mediacheker, documentary photographer, Mariam Giunashvili, suffered burns after allegedly being pepper-sprayed. “They sprayed me [with pepper spray] from three different directions, from the front right in the face and from the sides all over my body. I got particularly bad burns on my hands and arms,” Giunashvili told Mediachecker.
The publications “Project 64”, “Netgazeti” and “Mautskebeli” have lost their aerial cameras. The founder and journalist of “Project 64”, Giorgi Gogua, writes on social networks that the camera was filming near the parliament, when suddenly the camera started flying strangely, and he lost control. “I was only controlling the direction of the camera, but I could not control the trajectory of the drone. The last shot, before the signal was lost, is somewhere from Rustaveli to Mtatsminda. The flight history on the map shows that the drone flew towards the airport.”

According to information disseminated by “Netgazeti”, they lost their drone on Rustaveli Avenue. “Netgazeti’s” drones, as well as those of other media outlets, were allegedly specially shot down on Rustaveli Avenue, where we were trying to film a demonstration,” the publication said in the information.

According to information, the publication “Mautskebeli” also lost its drone. During filming, the drone suddenly malfunctioned, like other media outlets,” a journalist from “Maudereli” told MediaChecker.

Photographer Mariam Giunashvili injured while covering protest on October 4

According to the Charter of Journalistic Ethics, documentary photographer, Mariam Giunashvili, suffered burns after allegedly being pepper-sprayed. “They sprayed me [with pepper spray] from three different directions, from the front right in the face and from the sides all over my body. I got particularly bad burns on my hands and arms,” Giunashvili told Mediachecker.

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.