Legal incident

Journalist Guram Rogava Summoned to Prosecutor’s Office for Questioning

On May 6, journalist Guram Rogava was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning.

“Tomorrow, at 12:00 PM Tbilisi time, I will be questioned,” Guram Rogava wrote on social media.

The Prosecutor’s Office also summoned Eliso Jariashvili, a journalist and TV host for the television network Formula, for questioning. As the journalist explained, the investigative agency requested her questioning following a report she aired on Formula. Specifically, Jariashvili had prepared an investigative report regarding the assault on journalist Guram Rogava, which took place during the mass protests in November 2024. Formula reportedly uncovered the identity of the attacker. According to the online publication Netgazeti, the network states that the identity of Rogava’s attacker was revealed by an employee of the Special Tasks Department.

On November 29, 2024, a masked law enforcement officer assaulted Guram Rogava while he was covering the protest live on air.

Guram Rogava was officially recognized as a victim shortly after, yet the investigation failed to identify the attacker.

Following the airing of Formula’s report, Tbilisi District Court Judge Valerian Bugianishvili ordered pretrial detention as a preventative measure for three former employees of the Special Tasks Department. One of the detainees is a current employee of the Security Police. They are being charged with physical violence committed against Rogava and protester Zviad Maisashvili.

Tbilisi City Court Dismisses Lawsuit of Dismissed Public Broadcaster Journalist Nino Zautashvili

Tbilisi City Court Judge Ekaterine Eliadze dismissed the lawsuit filed by Nino Zautashvili, a dismissed journalist and host, against the Public Broadcaster.

According to Zautashvili’s lawyer, Giorgi Iasashvili, they were seeking the annulment of the dismissal order and her reinstatement to the corresponding position.

“I know that I will see this case through to the end, and I will spare neither time nor energy for it. I know for a fact that I am right, and the judge also knew that the truth was on my side. In these terribly difficult times, when so many unjust decisions have been made, the single most important task remains ensuring the institutional independence of the judiciary,” Nino Zautashvili told Media Checker.

The Tbilisi City Court also dismissed the lawsuit of former Moambe anchor Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani, who sought the annulment of his dismissal order from the Public Broadcaster. This decision was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeals.

The Public Broadcaster dismissed Nino Zautashvili, the host of the program Real Space, along with Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani on April 11, 2025.

Court Dismisses Mzia Amaghlobeli’s Lawsuit Against Irakli Kobakhidze

On April 24, Tbilisi City Court Judge Liana Kazhashvili dismissed the case filed by Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of Batumelebi/Netgazeti, against Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Amaghlobeli, who is currently in custody, alleged that Kobakhidze’s televised statements constituted defamation, violated the presumption of innocence, and damaged her honor and dignity.

“This is a dangerous precedent, not only for Mzia Amaghlobeli as the plaintiff in this case but for the justice system in general,” the journalist’s lawyer, Ana Rekhviashvili, told the media.

Neither Irakli Kobakhidze nor his legal representative appeared in court.

This marks the second time the Tbilisi City Court has reached such a decision. On November 24, 2025, Judge Davit Akobidze also ruled to dismiss a case in which Mzia Amaghlobeli sought a retraction of false allegations from Irakli Kobakhidze.

The judge did not uphold the complaint filed by the employees of ‘Real Space,’ a program canceled by the Georgian Public Broadcaster

On April 20, Judge Liana Kazhashvili announced a decision in which the court denied the complaint filed by former employees of “Real Space.”

The program “Real Space” aired on the Public Broadcaster until May 5, 2025, when the channel’s management decided to cancel the show. The “Real Space” staff subsequently sued the Public Broadcaster’s management. The decision announced on April 20 concerned the dismissal of Ketevan Kapanadze, Ioseb Katsitadze, Tamar Mshvenieradze, Omar Tsotsoria, and Tukha Kvinikadze. They are seeking the annulment of their dismissal orders and reinstatement to their respective positions at “Real Space” under the terms of their permanent employment contracts dated December 30, 2022.

Since November 2024, following the start of pro-European protests, demonstrators have been demanding open access to the airwaves. Employees of the Public Broadcaster joined this demand, and the “Real Space” team also openly criticized the channel’s editorial policy.

On April 11, 2025, the Public Broadcaster dismissed “Real Space” host Nino Zautashvili and “Moambe” anchor Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani. On May 1, “Real Space” was officially closed, and the contracts of team members who declined new offers were terminated.

Tbilisi City Court Rules Against Ousted Public Broadcaster Journalist Nino Zautashvili

Tbilisi City Court Judge Ekaterine Eliadze has dismissed the lawsuit filed against the Public Broadcaster by Nino Zautashvili, a journalist and presenter who was fired from the channel.

According to Zautashvili’s lawyer, Giorgi Iasashvili, they were seeking to have the dismissal order annulled and for her to be reinstated to her position.

“I know I will see this case through to the end, and I won’t begrudge the time or energy it takes. I know for a fact that I am right, and the judge knew the truth was on my side as well. In these incredibly difficult times, when so many unjust decisions have been made, the primary and most vital task remains ensuring the institutional independence of the judiciary,” Nino Zautashvili told Mediachecker.

The Tbilisi City Court also dismissed a lawsuit filed by Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani, a former presenter for the news program Moambe, who was also seeking to overturn his dismissal from the Public Broadcaster. This decision was later upheld by the Court of Appeals.

The Public Broadcaster dismissed Nino Zautashvili, the host of the program Real Space, along with Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani, on April 11, 2025.

Journalists’ Accounts Frozen Without Prior Notice of Fines

On April 15, according to TV Pirveli, the bank accounts of Maka Chikhladze, a journalist for the channel’s Saturday broadcast, were frozen. On social media, Irakli Datunashvili (known online as Leo Nafta), the Georgia editor for the online publication JamNews, also wrote that his bank accounts had been frozen. According to his information, the basis for the freeze is cited as a fine from October 15, the existence of which he had not been informed of until now.

According to Nodar Meladze, head of the news service, Maka Chikhladze was covering ongoing events on Rustaveli Avenue in the line of professional duty on October 15, 2025, which led to her being fined 5,000 GEL on charges of “artificially blocking the road.” He stated that the journalist was not notified of this fine and subsequently had her accounts frozen.

Maka Chikhladze herself states that she only learned about the existence of the fine after her accounts were frozen.

“In such a large agency as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they couldn’t find the resources to send me a single SMS… if they had simply notified me that I had been fined, I would have looked into it and proven that I was performing my professional duties. I didn’t know about it until my accounts were frozen,” Chikhladze said.

In her assessment, the case may be related to her journalistic activities. “I believe this is an act of revenge and has nothing to do with the law on assembly and manifestation or any actual violation,” she noted. Chikhladze also points out that representatives of other media outlets were also working at the scene, yet she was the only one targeted with a fine.

On December 7, 2024, on Besiki Street in Tbilisi, TV Pirveli journalist Maka Chikhladze and cameraman Giorgi Shetsiruli were attacked and physically assaulted by unidentified masked individuals while working on a live broadcast. The investigation launched into that incident has not yet been concluded.

TV Formula Journalist Liza Tsitsishvili’s Accounts Frozen

The bank accounts of TV Formula journalist Liza Tsitsishvili have been frozen. According to the journalist, it was discovered that she had been fined 5,000 GEL on the grounds of “artificially blocking the road” while performing her professional duties on Rustaveli Avenue on September 10, 2025.

The journalist had not received any notice regarding the fine. Furthermore, she states that since September, she has been detained once and has even crossed the national border, yet in neither instance was she informed that she had been fined.

According to publicly available information, more than 40 fines have been issued against journalists for “artificially blocking the road” between October 26, 2024, and the present day.

Azerbaijani Journalist Afghan Sadygov Detained, Fined, and Expelled from Georgia

On the night of April 4, 2026, Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadygov was detained in Georgia. Information regarding his arrest was initially released by his wife, who published surveillance footage showing law enforcement officers attempting to cut through the door of Sadygov’s home.

Following the news of the arrest, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia issued a statement noting that the journalist was detained for an offense under Article 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code—insulting a police officer on social media.

Afghan Sadygov’s trial took place late that same night. Tbilisi City Court Judge Tornike Kochkiani found Sadygov guilty and fined him 2,000 GEL. Additionally, he was ordered to be expelled from Georgia and banned from re-entering the country for a period of three years. The decision was announced at dawn, around 4:00 AM.

Afghan Sadygov was a critic of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s regime, for which he faced persecution in Azerbaijan. He arrived in Georgia with his wife and two minor children on December 24, 2023. Azerbaijan had been demanding Sadygov’s handover for nearly two years. His lawyers considered such a move dangerous and appealed the Georgian courts’ decisions regarding his extradition to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). There was an interim measure in place from the ECHR issued in 2025, which prohibited Georgia from extraditing Sadygov to Azerbaijan due to the threat of torture and political persecution. According to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, Sadygov’s expulsion is a grave violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and Georgian legislation, used as a tool for political retribution.

The Charter of Journalistic Ethics of Georgia expresses solidarity with Afghan Sadygov and condemns his expulsion from the country. The Charter calls on international organizations working on journalists’ rights to pay close attention to Sadygov’s case, ensure his safety, and do everything in their power to protect the journalist in Azerbaijan, where he is currently located. In the assessment of the Media Advocacy Coalition, the expulsion of Afghan Sadygov is “a gross violation of international law and part of a policy directed against freedom of speech and independent journalists, which ‘Georgian Dream’ has been implementing for several years.”

“Parole Board” Denies Early Release for Mzia Amaghlobeli

The “Parole Board” (the Local Council of the Special Penitentiary Service for the Review of Convicts’ Cases) has denied the early release of prisoner Mzia Amaghlobeli, the founder of the publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti.

According to Batumelebi, the decision states that the prisoner cannot be released early because she “still does not repent for her actions.” The same outlet reports that the commission reached this decision despite a positive recommendation from Women’s Penitentiary Facility No. 5.

Mzia Amaghlobeli has been wrongfully imprisoned for one year and three months. She was sentenced to two years for slapping Irakli Dgebuadze, the head of the Batumi Police. Under current legislation, individuals convicted of less serious crimes are eligible for early release once they have served half of their sentence. A special commission reviews these cases, with the prison administration formally submitting the motion for a prisoner’s early release. According to Batumelebi, Penitentiary Facility No. 5 submitted the motion for Mzia Amaghlobeli’s parole to the board on January 12 of this year.

Tbilisi City Court Dismisses TV Pirveli Journalists’ Lawsuit Against Pro-Government POSTV

Tbilisi City Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by TV Pirveli journalists Nanuka Kajaia, Natalia Kajaia, and Mariam Gaprindashvili against the pro-government outlet POSTV. The journalists sued POSTV for defamation following reports alleging they received $30,000 salaries from Temur Chkonia, the businessman and founder of Coca-Cola.

According to TV Pirveli lawyer Tornike Migineishvili, although the burden of proof rested with the defendant under the law, the plaintiffs submitted numerous documents to the court. These included: a recording of a phone conversation with Temur Chkonia; salary and employment records from TV Pirveli; bank statements from every commercial bank covering several years of transactions for each journalist; and rulings confirming that POSTV had violated journalistic standards in preparing the segment. They also presented all stories and statements demonstrating the “TV company’s” sole intent: an attempt to discredit the plaintiff journalists. Nevertheless, the dispute ended in a victory for the sanctioned media outlet.

At the same time, the lawyer emphasized that the opposing side failed to present a single piece of documentation.