On June 11, 2025, Tbilisi City Court Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili, who is presiding over the case of eight individuals arrested during a protest, threatened Mindia Gabadze, a journalist from the online outlet Publika, saying he would not be allowed to take photos at the next hearing. According to the journalist, the judge addressed him directly: “She called out to me just after announcing the end of the hearing, while I was quietly continuing to take photos,” Gabadze wrote on social media.
Mindia Gabadze is one of the journalists who regularly attends court hearings related to so-called “prisoners of conscience” and reports on the developments. His social media accounts feature numerous emotional photos and videos from courtrooms, including visual documentation of statements made by the prisoners.
Recently, the court system has increasingly restricted media coverage of judicial proceedings. Between May 22 and June 11, 2025, there were four recorded incidents (on May 22, 23, 29, and 30) in Tbilisi City Court where reporters equipped with photo and video cameras were denied entry. On June 10, one hearing was entirely closed to the media, including those previously granted permission to record. All of these instances occurred during hearings deemed to be of high public interest and considered to involve political cases.
The Media Advocacy Coalition stated that these actions set a dangerous precedent and reflect the ruling party Georgian Dream’s deliberate policy of restricting the press.
“Banning media access to court proceedings not only violates the rights of journalists but also infringes upon the public’s right to be informed. With such actions, Georgian Dream is trying to withhold crucial information about important court decisions from the public and limit citizens’ ability to hold the government accountable,” the coalition’s statement reads.