On June 10, 2025, Judge Nino Galustashvili closed the hearing of 11 individuals detained during pro-European protests and expelled media representatives from the courtroom without any explanation. Notably, even those journalists who had official permission to film were asked to leave.
Previously, during earlier stages of the same case, some hearings at the Tbilisi City Court had been partially closed — barring supporters, family members, and friends of the defendants from attending — but media outlets with filming accreditation were still allowed to cover the proceedings.
According to the online outlet Publika, the judge’s decision followed a comment made from the courtroom, noting that participants had not been allowed to eat during the hearing. Despite journalists requesting clarification, the judge only announced the decision, providing no further explanation.
In recent months, the courts have increasingly imposed unjustified barriers on the media, hindering journalists from fulfilling their professional duties.
On March 4, 2025, Batumi City Court Judge Vasil Metreveli ruled to keep Netgazeti and Batumelebi co-founder and director Mzia Amaglobe in pre-trial detention. On that day, the court also began the substantive hearing of her case and reviewed the issue of revising the preventive measure.
Mzia Amaglobeli is being investigated under Article 353¹, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to attacks on police officers, special penitentiary staff, or other public officials or institutions. The charge carries a sentence of 4 to 7 years in prison.
Amaglobeli was arrested twice during the night of January 11–12. She was initially detained for posting a sticker on a police building that read: “Georgia Goes on Strike.” She was released a few hours later on a written pledge. However, shortly after her release, she was re-arrested for allegedly slapping the police chief, Irakli Dgebuadze.
According to Netgazeti, the incident was preceded by a clash and crowding between demonstrators and police, triggered by provocative actions from the police.The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), which is representing Amaglobeli, stated that “Mzia Amaglobeli is not only being held unlawfully, but the Georgian judiciary has demonstratively stripped her of the right to defend herself and prove her innocence.”
At a court hearing held on March 12, 2025, Radio Liberty producer Beka Beradze was issued a verbal warning by the court for disobeying police orders.
Beradze was detained on the night of December 1, 2024, during a pro-European protest in Tbilisi, on Ingorokva Street, along with several companions. He was taken to a temporary detention facility in Sagarejo and released 48 hours later without being charged. Visible injuries were observed on Beradze’s face, which, according to Radio Liberty reports, resulted from violence by riot police.
On March 12, 2025, police contacted Beradze to inform him that his court hearing was scheduled to take place within the hour. He was being charged with disobeying a police order. According to Beradze, he and his lawyer were given only one hour to review the case materials.
On March 17, 2025, Tbilisi City Court held a hearing in the case of Publika reporter Aleksandre Keshelashvili. He had been charged with disobeying police orders; the court issued him a verbal warning.
Keshelashvili was covering a pro-European protest on November 29 of the previous year when police used force to detain and physically assault him. That same night, he was hospitalized with multiple injuries and underwent emergency surgery; he had sustained fractures to his facial bones.
In December, the Publika reporter filed a complaint with the Special Investigation Service, requesting an investigation into the physical violence used against him while performing his professional duties. Despite being officially recognized as a victim in that case, the court still delivered a guilty verdict today and issued him a verbal warning for disobeying police orders.
On March 18, 2025, Batumi City Court Judge Salikh Shainidze found Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder and director of Netgazeti and Batumelebi, guilty of a misdemeanor and fined her 2,000 GEL for placing a sticker on a police building.
Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested twice during the night of January 11–12, 2025. She was first detained for posting a sticker on the police building that read: “Georgia goes on strike.” She was released a few hours later on a written pledge. However, shortly after her release, she was arrested again — this time on criminal charges — for allegedly slapping police chief Irakli Dgebuadze.
She remains in pre-trial detention in connection with the criminal case. Her detention is being closely monitored not only by local NGOs but also by prominent international organizations.
On March 19, 2025, Judge Tamar Makharoblidze of Tbilisi City Court ordered TV Pirveli journalists Mariam Gaprindashvili and Nanuka Kajaia to leave the courtroom.
The judge made this decision after the journalists inquired why they had not been granted permission to photograph the proceedings — a request they had submitted officially and in accordance with the law.
“The judge did not allow the journalists to finish speaking, told them they were not parties to the case and therefore had no right to speak. She first issued them a warning, and then expelled them from the courtroom,” according to a report by Radio Liberty.
The court session was related to a deliberate murder case that occurred on March 15 on Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue.
On April 28, 2025, Batumi City Court ruled to keep Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of the online outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, in pretrial detention. The decision was announced by Judge Nino Sakhelashvili.
As a reminder, Mzia Amaghlobeli was initially detained under administrative charges on January 11 of this year and, just hours later on January 12, was charged under criminal law.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on her behalf.
On April 24, 2025, Publika‘s reporter Mindia Gabadze was removed from a court session.
Judge Davit Tetrauli expelled the journalist from the courtroom for asking a question. Gabadze was covering the trial of businessman Giorgi Chkheidze.
This is not the first time Mindia Gabadze has faced interference while carrying out his professional duties. Previously, unidentified individuals physically assaulted him on Rustaveli Avenue, and nearby police officers failed to respond.
The removal of journalists from courtrooms without any justification is also increasingly being seen as part of a broader, troubling trend.
On April 17, 2025, Indigo journalist Saba Sordia was fined 2,500 GEL by Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Tsekvava. The journalist had been charged with disobedience to police.
Saba Sordia was detained on April 6 near Metro Station in Tbilisi. At the time of his arrest, he was not carrying out journalistic duties. According to his lawyer, Mariam Kavelashvili, the journalist was stopped for a “superficial inspection” and, after presenting his ID, was asked to fully open his bag. When Sordia responded that he would open the bag pockets himself, this was interpreted as noncompliance. By that point, the police already knew he was a journalist by profession.
Following his arrest, Saba Sordia spent 48 hours in a pretrial detention facility. He later stated that officers in the patrol car attempted to humiliate him over an earring he was wearing. His work-issued GoPro camera was also confiscated. The first court hearing in his case took place on April 8, and the verdict was announced on April 17.
The Media Advocacy Coalition has called this yet another instance of repressive policies targeting the media.
On May 29, 2025, a high-profile hearing in the case of Giorgi Bachiashvili was scheduled at Tbilisi City Court. The session, presided over by Judge Nana Shamatava, was held in a small courtroom. Despite the high public interest, part of the media was unable to attend the hearing. Some of the defendant’s relatives and family members were also not allowed to be present.
To recall, businessman Giorgi Bachiashvili previously headed the “Partnership Fund,” established by the “Georgian Dream” party and its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Criminal proceedings against him began in 2023. The Georgian justice system accuses him of misappropriating bitcoins valued at 500 million GEL. The investigation is widely known as the “Bitcoin Case.”
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and Transparency International Georgia responded to the court session:
“Organizing the hearing in such a small courtroom for a case of significant public interest violates the principle of public hearings, which is a core component of the right to a fair trial. This is particularly problematic given that the court had a reasonable opportunity to avoid it—at the time the session began, the court’s two largest rooms (Courtroom 1 and Courtroom 2) were available.”
