On February 11, 2026, in Tbilisi, at the Paragraph Hotel, during an event organized by the Iranian Embassy to mark the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, unknown individuals obstructed a journalist from the online outlet “Publika” while performing their professional duties. A man dressed in traditional attire seized the journalist’s phone and threw it, then forced them to delete the recorded material. To ensure the journalist had complied, the individuals accessed their personal information without permission, including private photos, videos, and mobile applications. According to the outlet, the journalist’s press ID and personal identification were also confiscated, and photos were taken of both the journalist and the documents.
The journalist was covering the event and a protest performance by an Iranian activist woman. “Publika” suspects that representatives of the State Protection Service or the State Security Service may have witnessed the incident. However, since the individuals were in civilian clothing and gave vague answers to questions, the outlet was unable to determine their identities or official positions.
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics has called on the State Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately investigate the obstruction of the “Publika” journalist in performing professional duties and to take appropriate measures to ensure a safe and dignified working environment for journalists.
On October 15, Sulkhan Meskhidze, the founder and director of “Adjara Times,” published a post on social media, stating that he had received a threatening and insulting message. According to Meskhidze, the message concerned him and his family members.
According to the journalist, the reason for the threat was most likely his publication, which concerns the resignation of Akaki Beridze, the head of the Batumi City Hall’s Department of City Infrastructure and Public Works.
In the post, he writes that this is not the first case of threats, but since he has not received a response from the investigative agencies on previous cases, he will not make an official statement on the matter.
While covering the protest on October 4, 2025, the online media outlet Mauwkebeli lost its drone. “The drone suddenly malfunctioned during filming, as happened with other media outlets,” a journalist from Mauwkebeli told MediaChecker.
Project 64 and Netgazeti also lost control of their drones that day.
At the October 4, 2025 rally, “Netgazeti” lost its drone. According to the information released by the publication, 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 the demonstration,” the publication said in the information released.
On the same day, “Project 64” and “Mauwkebeli” lost their drones too.
Project 64 lost its drone camera during the October 4, 2025 rally. Project 64 founder and journalist Giorgi Gogua wrote on social media that the camera was filming near the parliament building when it suddenly started flying erratically and lost control.
“I was only controlling the direction of the camera, but I couldn’t control the trajectory of the drone. The last shot before the signal was lost was somewhere from Rustaveli to Mtatsminda. The flight history on the map shows that the drone flew towards the airport.”
On the same day, the media outlets Netgazeti and Mauwyebeli lost control of their drones.
While covering the October 4, 2025 rally, according to information released by the Public Broadcaster, a protester allegedly threw an “unknown liquid” at the news program’s “Moambe” crew, resulting in injuries to journalist Shalva Sumbadze and cameraman Nika Tsirekidze.
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.
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.
On February 4, 2025, Gela Mtivlishvili, founder and editor of the outlet Mtis Ambebi, published a Facebook post revealing that a vehicle belonging to the newsroom was deliberately damaged.
According to Mtivlishvili, the same individual who damaged the car later came to his residence and knocked on his door. He also shared a photo on social media as evidence of the incident.
“In the morning, the company vehicle was damaged. CCTV footage shows a person deliberately throwing a stone at the windshield three times to break it. We’ve already reported it to 112. The thing is, this person lives in the same building and has access to the security system and the entrance codes. I’ve never done anything but good for him, which is why it’s clear to me that someone told him to do this,” the journalist wrote.
Gela Mtivlishvili has previously been the target of both verbal and physical attacks by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the police.
On May 20, 2025 British journalist Will Neal has been denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022.
Will Neal is freelance journalist. On March 31 of this year, Neal published an investigatigation about Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s UK-registered companies and their connections to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream party.
The expulsion follows a hate campaign led by pro-government politicians and media outlets in response to Neal’s investigation into Georgian circles of power, as press freedom continues to deteriorate in the country.
The international organization Reporters Without Borders has issued a article regarding the journalist being denied entry at the border, saying: “The expulsion follows a hate campaign led by pro-government politicians and media outlets in response to Neal’s investigation into Georgian circles of power, as press freedom continues to deteriorate in the country.“
This is not the first time journalists have been denied entry to Georgia.
