Physical injury

GYLA: Mzia Amaghlobeli’s eyesight problem is reaching an alarming level

According to the Young Lawyers’ Association of Georgia (GYLA), the eyesight condition of Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of “Batumelebi” and “Netgazeti,” is at an alarming level. The organization notes that Mzia Amaghlobeli has not undergone the necessary examinations and, to date, has not received proper consultation from a doctor, which is essential for maintaining eyesight and planning treatment.

“In 2025, before being placed in the penitentiary institution, her eyesight in the right eye was approximately 30% (0.3), which could have increased up to 90% with corrective glasses. After being placed in prison, her eyesight deteriorated alarmingly. According to examinations conducted on February 4, 2025, her right eye’s eyesight could be corrected with glasses to approximately 60%, but a repeated examination two days later showed that Mzia Amaghlobeli’s eyesight in the right eye had dropped to 0.1 (a 20% decrease in two days), and correction with glasses was now possible only up to 40%, instead of the 90% before imprisonment,” the statement released by GYLA reads.

According to the Young Lawyers’ Association of Georgia, in July 2025, lawyers requested that the prison administration provide Mzia Amaghlobeli with the necessary examinations at the medical institutions she had visited prior to her arrest, where her patient history was kept. This request was denied by the penitentiary service, after which the journalist’s eyesight was examined at a clinic chosen by the prison administration.

“Despite medical assessments that clearly show the alarming deterioration of Mzia Amaghlobeli’s eyesight during her time in prison, the penitentiary institution has not taken any effective measures to arrange adequate examinations and appropriate treatment, nor has the cause of such dramatic deterioration in eyesight been determined,” the statement said.

On August 6, Mzia Amaghlobeli was sentenced by the Batumi City Court to two years in prison. The decision was upheld by the Kutaisi Court of Appeals.

“Moambe” camera crew injured at October 4 rally

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.

TV Pirveli cameraman Niko Kokaia was injured twice during the October 4 rally

TV Pirveli cameraman Niko Kokaia was injured twice while covering the October 4, 2025 rally. The first incident, as the TV company reports, occurred on Atoneli Street, near the President’s Residence. Kokaia became incapacitated after the Special Tasks Department fired gas canisters. He required emergency medical assistance.

The second incident occurred on Orbeliani Square. According to the TV company, the cameraman was allegedly hit in the leg by a gas canister.

A gas capsule was reportedly fired at a TV Pirveli film crew

A tear gas capsule was allegedly fired at the TV Pirveli camera crew, journalist Irakli Bakhtadze, and his cameraman. 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 capsule exploding capsule can be heard in the area where the TV Pirveli camera crew was working. According to the Charter of Journalistic Ethics, the capsule hit the journalist’s helmet. At that time, the protesters had already left the surrounding area. There was no prior warning before the shots were fired. The journalist and cameraman were not injured.

Incidents of Interference, Violence, and Damage to Media Equipment During the October 4 Rally

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.

Photographer Mariam Giunashvili injured while covering protest on October 4

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.

Six journalists injured near Tbilisi mayoral candidate, Kakha Kaladze’s, campaign headquarters

On September 8, 2025, while covering a rally outside the election headquarters of Georgian Dream’s Tbilisi mayoral candidate, Kakha Kaladze, party supporters and law enforcement officers assaulted journalists, verbally abused them, and confiscated mobile phones. One journalist required medical treatment.

According to the online outlet Publika two reporters, Aleksandre Keshelashvili and Keto Mikadze, were physically assaulted by Georgian Dream supporters while on assignment, and their mobile phones were seized. With the help of a Netgazeti journalist, they recovered only one device Keshelashvili’s phone [timecode: 1:14–1:20]. The outlet reports that it has video evidence showing who took the other phone and has called on that individual to return it, and on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to respond to the theft of editorial equipment and interference in journalistic work.

According to online Netgazeti, a police officer swore at its reporter Ketevan Khutsishvili, physically grabbed and dragged her, and interfered with her work while she was broadcasting live and filming the confrontation outside the headquarters, including the attack on the colleague – Aleksandre Keshelashvili. “They used rude and vulgar gestures to swear. Then a policeman came up to me, saying, ‘Don’t provoke me,’ grabbed me by the arms and dragged me. Then a second and a third came, and one of the policemen cursed me. After that, a man in a blue shirt came and also cursed me. Finally, they dragged me and threw me among the policemen, and one of them even grabbed my hand,” Khutsishvili says. [Video material, timecode: 0:30–2:32]

A Georgian Dream supporter poured a bottle of water over Mariam Nikuradze, OC Media’s founder and photojournalist, as she filmed police clearing protesters. “At that moment, one of the Georgian Dream supporters approached me and poured a whole bottle of water on my head in the presence of the police. The police didn’t say anything to him, I pushed him aside,” Nikuradze told MediaChecker.

An investigative journalist with Studio Monitor, Keti Tutberidze was also poured a bottle of water while she was performing her professional duties.

Hungarian journalist László Róbert Mézes suffered serious physical injuries after being assaulted by Georgian Dream supporters, who also attempted to seize his phone. He required medical attention.

The Media Advocacy Coalition condemned the incidents, stating that “attacks on independent media and impunity for perpetrators are part of Georgian Dream’s consistent policy,” and expressed solidarity with journalists “forced to perform their professional duties under a violent regime.”

The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics “strongly condemns” the violence against journalists “against the backdrop of the criminal inaction and indifference of the police,” calling on the Ministry of Internal Affairs for an immediate response and on the Prosecutor’s Office to conduct an effective investigation.

British journalist Will Neal Has Been Denied Entry into Georgia

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.

Crew of “TV Pirveli” Attacked and Equipment Seized

On May 12, 2025, in Kvemo Kartli, a journalist and a cameraman from TV Pirveli, who were investigating the resignation of former Deputy Governor Giorgi Shinjikashvili, were physically attacked by the former official’s father.

According to the journalist, Mariam Makasarashvili, Shinjikashvili’s father slapped her in the face and physically attacked the channel’s cameraman as well. At the same time, he seized the TV station’s camera and the journalist’s personal mobile phone, which were returned only after 40 minutes. As a result of the attack, the journalist suffered a concussion and required medical assistance.

The crew immediately called the police. According to the broadcaster, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived an hour and 20 minutes later. The Special Investigative Service has launched an investigation into the incident.

According to the Media Advocacy Coalition, the incident “once again clearly highlights the critical state of media freedom and safety in the country.”

At a peaceful protest near Tbilisi Mall 11 journalists were unlawfully prevented from doing their jobs

On February 2, at a peaceful protest near Tbilisi Mall 11 journalists were unlawfully prevented from doing their jobs.

TV Pirveli cameraman Niko Kokaia was injured while filming the arrest of a protester by the police. As a result, he had to be hospitalized. Medical examinations confirmed that he suffered a concussion due to the injuries sustained at the protest.
A video published by media outlet “April” shows a police officer pushing their journalist, Nata Uridia, and obstructing her work. In the footage, Nata Uridia can be heard identifying herself as a journalist while addressing a masked police officer.
During the arrest of protesters, police also interfered with another “April” journalist, Vakho Kareli, demanding that both him and Nata Uridia leave the area. In the same incident, an officer was seen pushing Uridia.
Radio Free Liberty’s journalist Gela Bochkashvili was threatened by a police officer. A video published by the media captures a masked officer telling him, “Move that camera away, or I’ll break your head.”
TV Mtavari Arkhi’s journalist Dea Mamiseishvili released a video showing a police officer verbally and physically assaulting her.
Radio Marneuli journalist Vladimir Chkhitunidze was filming the arrest of an opposition politician when he was stopped by Special Tasks Department (STD) officers, who forcibly moved him onto the sidewalk.
TV Pirveli’s camera crew was verbally and physically assaulted by police officers. According to the channel, their broadcasting equipment was also damaged.
TV Pirveli also reported that their journalist, Khatia Samkharadze, was attacked by Mirza Kezevadze, the deputy head of the Special Tasks Department. According to media reports, Kezevadze seized and damaged the journalist’s phone.
Members of the Special Tasks Department also attempted to take a microphone from Formula TV journalist Giorgi Kvijinadze, obstructing his work, when he was on air.
A masked police officer interfered with Guria News’ journalists while they were covering the protest. A video shows the officer pushing away the camera.
The police obstructed MediaChecker journalist Ninia Kakabadze from doing her job. A police officer also pushed her.

Media Advocacy Coalition and the Charter of Journalistic Ethics have responded to the injuries sustained by media representatives while covering the peaceful protest near “Tbilisi Mall.” The organizations are calling on international bodies to “properly assess the dangerous actions and systemic violence by law enforcement officers who have acted beyond the framework of the Constitution and the law.“