On November 24, the Parliament suspended the accreditation of Dea Badzagua, a journalist for the investigative program “Shabatis Formula” of the TV “Formula,” for one month. The suspension of accreditation was requested by the “Georgian Dream” MP Maia Bitadze.
A report aired on “Shabatis Formula” [at 18:41 and 20:02], showing Dea Badzagua trying to ask questions to “Georgian Dream” MP Aluda Gghudushauri regarding the case initiated against the chairman of the party “For Georgia,” Giorgi Gakharia. The interview was recorded by phone by Parliament member Maia Bitadze from “Georgian Dream.” According to the journalist on “Formula,” she did not even have questions for Maia Bitadze, but the MP became irritated by listening to questions directed at her colleague.
“It is noteworthy that she [Maia Bitadze] immediately threatened us with sanctions and, apparently, carried them out… Representatives of ‘Georgian Dream’ in the parliamentary body do not answer any questions from critical media,” said journalist Dea Badzagua on “Formula.”
On November 13, another journalist from “Formula,” Tiko Eradze, had her accreditation suspended after she published a video shot in the parliamentary plenary hall, where she filmed “Georgian Dream” MP Eka Chichinadze from the journalists’ designated gallery, while the MP was watching the video recording on her phone.
On November 12, Tiko Eradze released a video filmed in the Parliament’s Plenary Hall, where she recorded “Georgian Dream” MP Eka Chichinadze listening to a video recording on her phone from the lodge designated for journalists. Shortly after the video was published, Tiko Eradze herself posted on Facebook, expressing her assumption that her accreditation would be suspended.
On November 13, the journalist was informed by a letter from the Head of the Parliament Apparatus that her accreditation had been suspended for a period of one month. The letter explained the grounds for the suspension: “You filmed the mobile phone screen of Member of Parliament Eka Chichinadze from the location designated for the media without permission.”
The restriction of journalists’ activities in the Parliament building by “Georgian Dream” is linked to the approval of the Rules of Accreditation for Media in the Parliament of Georgia on February 6, 2023. The new regulations included restrictions such as a ban on filming without prior permission, the journalist’s obligation to stop an interview if a Member of Parliament refuses, and the requirement that a journalist must not film a Member of Parliament’s phone or other electronic device screen without their consent in a way that allows the information or image on it to be perceived. These changes drew criticism from the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, which stated that such regulations made it impossible to obtain and deliver information to the public.
This is not the first time that the Parliament has used the media accreditation rules against representatives of independent media.
The Public Relations Department of the Georgian Patriarchate announced that on October 14, due to a violation of internal regulations, the film crews of the TV companies “TV Pirveli” and “Formula” will not be accredited for the upcoming church holidays.
“Today, October 14, for violating the internal regulations in the courtyard of the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, under the pretext of journalistic activity, despite repeated warnings, and for arbitrarily leaving the space allocated for the press, the film crews of TV Pirveli and TV Formula will not be accredited for the upcoming church holidays,” the statement said.
The Patriarchate has imposed additional regulations for the media since 2022. Journalists need to obtain special accreditation to cover church events, and they can only work in zones specially designated for the media.
On March 26, 2025, the Parliament of Georgia suspended the accreditation of TV Pirveli journalist Nata Kajaia for six months.
The suspension is related to a report she produced about individuals detained during pro-European protests. Kajaia had approached parliamentary staff for interviews. After being refused, she continued trying to obtain answers from public officials.
“The reaction from Georgian Dream shows that they did not like the segment aired on Saturday, because we told the audience how the persecution is based on falsehoods — in a criminal case involving prisoners of conscience. I approached a parliamentary employee for an interview — the man whose testimony is part of the case against the prisoners of conscience,” Kajaia said in an interview with TV Pirveli.
The incident drew a response from the Media Advocacy Coalition, which stated:
“The regime is systematically abusing independent media. Journalists are being unlawfully obstructed in their professional work. There is a pattern of continuous attacks, intimidation, insults, and disinformation. To this day, no one has been held accountable — neither those who ordered nor those who carried out these systemic crimes.”
The rules for journalist accreditation in the legislature are defined by a decree issued by the Speaker of Parliament on February 6, 2023.
On April 30, 2025, Formula TV journalists Eliso Jariashvili and Tata Forakishvili received notifications that their parliamentary accreditations had been suspended for one month.
In both cases, the journalists were attempting to obtain answers to critical questions from Georgian Dream party MPs. The parliamentary administration deemed this a violation of the “Rules for Accrediting Media Representatives in the Parliament of Georgia.”Tata Forakishvili’s accreditation was suspended at the request of Georgian Dream MP Nino Tsilosani, while Eliso Jariashvili’s suspension was initiated by MP Archil Gorduladze, also from the ruling party.
