On June 26, 2025, “Georgian Dream” Parliament adopted amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts in the third reading under an accelerated procedure. The new regulations, which came into force immediately upon publication, prohibit photo and video recording by the media during court hearings. As a result of the changes, recording is also restricted both inside court buildings and in the courtyards and hallways. These amendments fundamentally changed the rules for covering court proceedings. Today, June 30, according to information released by “Publika”, media representatives were not allowed into the Tbilisi City Court with cameras, and filming with phones was also restricted in the courtyard.
Today, the trial of 11 individuals detained on charges of group violence during pro-European protest rallies was taking place at the Tbilisi City Court. Media representatives appealed to the High Council of Justice for permission to record the hearing, but they did not receive a response. Lawyers also addressed the judge regarding the permission to record the hearing. However, according to the judge, since there was no decision presented to the court regarding permission for recording, the hearing would proceed without audio or video recording.
To date, the High Council of Justice has not established a procedure outlining how permission for media coverage of court hearings should be granted. It is known that such coverage is only possible with the Council’s permission, but the form and rules for granting this permission remain unclear. The absence of clear regulations creates a risk of arbitrary practices, which significantly restricts media freedom and the transparency of court proceedings.
On June 18, 2025, Tbilisi City Court Judge Davit Tetraul fined “TV Pirveli” host Vika Bukia 4,000 GEL for a critical comment she posted on social media directed at a Georgian Dream MP.
Vika Bukia, along with five other journalists from critical media outlets, was summoned to Tbilisi City Court on June 12. All six were accused of insulting a member of the ruling Georgian Dream government. Out of the six, the court found four journalists guilty of an administrative offense and fined them. The hearings for the remaining two—Nanuka Zhorzholiani and Vakho Sanaia—were postponed, and no verdict has yet been issued in their cases.
In all six cases, the legal basis for the complaints was a newly enacted article of the Administrative Offenses Code—Article 173¹⁶(e). This article introduces liability for actions such as verbal insult, offensive language, degrading treatment, or other forms of offensive conduct directed at political officials, public servants, or equivalent positions, committed during or in connection with their official duties. Penalties include a fine ranging from 1,500 to 4,000 GEL or up to 45 days of detention.
According to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, social media posts that do not contain threats posing a real risk and are directed at politicians—who are expected to have a high tolerance for criticism—are protected under freedom of expression. “Any court interpretation contradicting this standard would set a precedent for mass censorship,” the organization said in a statement.
On June 18, 2025, Marina Fomaeva, a judge at Batumi City Court, found Mzia Amaglobeili—founder of the outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti—guilty of an administrative offense and fined her 1,000 GEL for posting a protest sticker.
The sticker in question read “Georgia Is Sworn In” and was placed by Amaglobeili on the wall of a police auxiliary building on January 11. Police officers removed the sticker immediately after it was posted.
Amaglobeili had already been fined once for the same sticker. On March 18, 2025, Judge Salikh Shainidze fined her 2,000 GEL for disobeying a lawful police order. Shortly after that, the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a new administrative case against her for the same incident—this time for “defacing the appearance of a building.” The verdict in that case was delivered on June 18.
Mzia Amaglobeili was arrested twice during the night of January 11–12, 2025. She was first detained for posting the protest sticker but released a few hours later after signing a written statement. However, she was re-arrested shortly after on criminal charges for allegedly slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze.
She remains in pretrial detention. Both local and international organizations consider her a political prisoner. Numerous procedural violations have been documented during her court proceedings.
On June 23, 2023, in Tbilisi, poet and activist Zviad Ratiani was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer. The arrest was witnessed by Nino Kodalashvili, a journalist from the TV company Kavkasia, who filmed the arrest using her personal mobile phone—something law enforcement officers also noticed.
Later, the police attempted to take Nino Kodalashvili to the police station for questioning as a witness and to examine her personal mobile phone. The director of Kavkasia, Nino Jangirashvili, was also present at the scene. She refused to allow the police to take the journalist or access her phone without following the appropriate legal procedures (such as an official notice). According to Jangirashvili, other activists also arrived at the location. As a result of the protest, the police reversed their decision to take the journalist in.
The interaction between the police and the journalists was streamed live on social media.
On June 18, Parliament initiated amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts, which were reviewed under an accelerated procedure and adopted in the third reading on June 26. Among the changes is a ban on photo and video recording by the media during court hearings. The amendments fundamentally change the rules for media coverage of court proceedings and, in effect, make it nearly impossible for journalists to report on them. The new regulations restrict recording not only inside courtrooms but also in court yards and hallways.
Key Changes:
- Restrictions on Recording in Courts:
Photo, video, and audio recording or broadcasting is prohibited within court buildings, courtrooms, and court yards—except in cases where such actions are authorized by the court or an authorized official. Video and audio recording or broadcasting of a hearing may be allowed only if the High Council of Justice of Georgia issues a specific decision authorizing it for that particular court hearing.
- Limitations on Broadcaster Access:
The provision that previously allowed the Public Broadcaster to cover court hearings without restriction has been abolished. Under the previous rule, if the Public Broadcaster did not exercise this right, another broadcaster could record the hearing with prior written permission from the judge.
- Right to Confiscate Personal Devices:
Courts are granted the authority to confiscate mobile phones, computers, photo/video/audio equipment, and other personal items from individuals entering the court building.
- Restriction on Public Access to Court Decisions:
Court decisions will only be made public after they have entered into legal force. Any person, including the media, is prohibited from publishing decisions without depersonalization. Access to information permitted only through procedures established by the General Administrative Code of Georgia.
- Liability for Disrespecting the Court:
Any act of disrespect toward a judge—whether verbal, obscene, or otherwise—by parties, other individuals involved in the case, or any third person, in any context (courtroom or public space), if related to the judge’s status, will be subject to legal liability.
These amendments significantly undermine the principle of transparency in court proceedings and impose unjustified restrictions ont media access to open hearings, in contradiction with democratic principles of openness and accountability.
On June 18, Georgian Dream initiated amendments to the Law on Freedom of Speech and Expression, which were reviewed by Parliament under an accelerated procedure. On June 26, Parliament unanimously adopted sweeping restrictions on freedom of speech and expression. These amendments are a continuation of more than ten legislative changes introduced by Georgian Dream that either restrict previously protected human rights standards or impose stricter sanctions for various violations.
Key Changes Introduced by the Law:
- Redefinition of Defamation:
Defamation is now defined as a “substantially false and damaging statement,” with the requirement to prove harm removed. Under the current version of the law, proof of harm is essential in determining whether a statement constitutes defamation.
- Shifting the Burden of Proof:
The burden of proof in defamation cases is shifted to the defendant—the person who made the statement—who must now prove the truthfulness of the statement. Previously, this burden rested with the claimant.
- Expansion of Damage Compensation:
If the court finds that a retraction or correction is insufficient to remedy the harm caused, the defendant may be required to pay moral and/or material damages.
- Elimination of Protection Mechanisms:
The provision stating that a defendant’s refusal to disclose a source or professional secret cannot be the sole basis for a judgment against them is being abolished.
- Abolishment of “Qualified Privilege”:
The law will no longer protect individuals who made a factual error despite conducting reasonable fact-checking, acted in the public interest, or reported fairly and accurately on issues of public concern. This change is expected to especially harm critical media and journalists, particularly in cases where subjects of reports often refuse to cooperate.
- New Restrictions on Public Insult:
The law introduces content-based regulation of freedom of expression if it concerns “insults in public spaces.” Previously, only direct, face-to-face insults were legally actionable. Now, broader categories of public insult fall within the law’s scope.
- Elimination of a Key Safeguard on Privacy and Free Expression:
The clause stating that the right to privacy cannot be used as a basis to restrict freedom of expression is being removed. This safeguard previously protected the media and the public in cases where information of public interest also implicated private matters, particularly involving public officials. Its removal increases the risk of suppressing information under the pretext of protecting privacy, undermining transparency and democratic accountability
- Retroactive Enforcement:
The law includes a 100-day retroactive provision, meaning that the new regulations will apply to statements made up to 100 days before the law officially comes into force.
- Removal of a Pro-Free Expression Clause:
The following phrase will also be removed from the law: “Any doubt that cannot be resolved according to the procedures established by law must be resolved against restricting freedom of speech.”
These legislative changes significantly hinder the work of independent media, civil society, and critical citizens, and run counter to both constitutional and international human rights standards.
On June 23, 2025, a court hearing was held at the Batumi City Court for Mzia Amaglobeili, founder of the online outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti. In addition to the questioning of witnesses, the court also considered a motion to change the preventive measure of detention. However, the judge decided to keep Mzia Amaglobeili in custody.
During the hearing, Amaglobeili’s lawyer, Maia Mtsariashvili, spoke about her deteriorating health condition. According to the lawyer, based on test results from February 4, Mzia Amaglobeili had 30% vision in her right eye and only 0.04% in her left. By February 6, the vision in her right eye had dropped to 10%, and even with glasses, it can reach a maximum of 40%, whereas before her detention, it could reach up to 90%. In her left eye, vision is limited to distinguishing between light and darkness.
Despite the defense emphasizing the severe deterioration of her health, the court did not take this into account and upheld the detention. The court’s decision once again relies generically on the risk of committing a new offense, though the reasoning for this position remains unclear.
We continue to monitor Mzia Amaglobeili’s case, including evaluating how accessible appropriate medical care is for her under prison conditions.
Formula TV journalist Anamaria Gelitashvili was fined 5,000 GEL for “artificially blocking the road” on Rustaveli Avenue while performing her professional duties. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) informed her of the fine on June 17, 2025. She is being accused of obstructing the road during the protest held on May 6.
This is the second fine issued to Anamaria Gelitashvili by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The first fine has already been appealed, and the journalist intends to appeal the second one as well. She claims that in both cases she was carrying out her journalistic duties, and there is video evidence to support this.
Since November 28, 2024, according to publicly available information, 37 administrative fines have been issued against media representatives. The majority of these cases are still under review. So far, the court has found two journalists in violation of the law and ordered them to pay fines.
According to TV Formula, the Public Registry is delaying the registration of personnel changes made within the company’s executive team.
As Formula reports, the company submitted an application to the Public Registry on June 1, 2025, requesting the registration of changes to the director and supervisory board. In accordance with the Registry’s request, the registration process was temporarily suspended. On June 10, the company submitted all the additionally requested documentation. The decision was supposed to be reflected on the next working day; however, despite the legally defined deadline having passed, the National Agency of Public Registry has yet to complete the process.
Formula states that this delay is hindering the organization’s operations.
According to the TV company, on May 14, 2025, Formula’s general assembly approved the dismissal of Zurab Gumbaridze from the position of director and appointed Mikheil Mshvildadze—who owns a 38.25% stake in the company—as the new director. The former director, Zurab Gumbaridze, was elected as chairman of Formula’s supervisory board. The company is now awaiting the Public Registry’s registration of these changes.
Formula TV journalist Anamaria Gelitashvili was fined twice in the amount of 10,000 lari for “artificially blocking the road” while performing her professional duties on Rustaveli Avenue. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) informed the journalist about the fines on June 17, 2025. She is accused of blocking the road during the May 6 protest.
The MIA accuses the journalist of “artificially blocking the road” during the protest actions held on May 6 and March 27, 2025. According to Anamaria Gelitashvili, in both cases she was carrying out journalistic work, and there is video evidence confirming this. After filing an appeal, one of the fines was annulled. As for the second one, she has not been notified.
