On October 4, 2025, the day of the local self-government elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition and the public), the Chairman of the Georgian Dream Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, called some of the information disseminated by TV Pirveli from the polling stations “funny and curious” and referred to the TV company as “Khazaradze’s TV.”
“Today, all day long, Khazaradze’s TV, TV Pirveli, has been trying to stir up scandals, although I think they are making a mockery of themselves,” Shalva Papuashvili said at a special briefing. He then listed several TV Pirveli stories from the polling stations, which, in his opinion, were just funny. Among these materials were a table at a polling station and the alleged case of bribery. “I don’t know if Khazaradze is feeding his journalists now,” Papuashvili added, noting that there is nothing strange about someone taking care of feeding the election administration. After discussing the alleged bribery case, he said again: “Here, Khazaradze has sunk to such a level that not only did he violate journalistic ethics for all members of his television, but there are now funny curiosities in general” (timecode 5:52–8:16).
As a reminder, on October 4, a number of independent media outlets became targets of Shalva Papuashvili’s attacks for spreading information related to election violations. Among them were TOK2regions and Publika. More broadly, recently, Shalva Papuashvili’s attacks on the media and efforts to discredit them have become a worrying trend.
On October 4, 2025, the day of local elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition and the public), the Chairman of the Georgian Dream Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, referred to the independent publication Publica as a “foreign-funded, propaganda” media outlet and accused it of a coordinated campaign of disinformation.
Shalva Papuashvili attacked Publica for its coverage of an attack on an opposition activist. (The day before the election, Igor Narmania, a young member of the United National Movement, was attacked and physically injured by several people in Tbilisi.) “Publica”, a foreign-funded propaganda media that spreads false information about Igor Narmania” (timecode: 3:55 – 4:37) – With this text, Shalva Papuashvili lists “Publica” among those actors who “act in a coordinated manner and spread disinformation, thereby interfering in the Georgian elections”.
Publica assessed Shalva Papuashvili’s next attack against them as incitement to hatred and violence. “We have already responded to Shalva Papuashvili’s attack once and we remind you again: “Publica” covers the current events in the country, including protest rallies, announcements, etc., within the framework of its journalistic activities. Shalva Papuashvili is trying to put pressure on our editorial independence, “Incites hatred and violence against us. If anything happens to any of our journalists, Papuashvili will be responsible,” – the editor of the publication Lika Zakashvili responded to Shalva Papuashvili with this post.
Recently, “Publica” has repeatedly become the target of Shalva Papuashvili’s attacks. For example, on May 19, 2025, Papuashvili attacked “Publica” for spreading information about MP Mariam Lashkh. Earlier, on February 1, he accused it of inciting to commit a criminal offense for spreading information about the rally.
On October 4, 2025, the day of local elections (which were boycotted by much of the pro-Western opposition and the public), Georgian Dream Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili accused the independent studio TOK2region of spreading disinformation and referred to it as “partisan media.” Papuashvili’s statement followed a video released by TOK2region from the 4th polling station in Akhaltsikhe, showing two voters in a single polling booth.
The Georgian Dream parliamentary speaker claimed that one of the voters actually needed assistance from the other due to vision problems. “Akhaltsikhe, precinct 4, where disinformation was also spread by partisan media claiming that voting control had taken place. In fact, the case concerned a voter with impaired vision, who asked for help and was assisted while filling out the ballot,” said Papuashvili, with TOK2region footage in the background labeled FAKE [timecode: 1:11–1:41].
Following Papuashvili’s statement, TOK2region released the full video footage, which shows that the voter did not ask for help. On the contrary, after the precinct commission chairman noticed that the media was recording the incident, he issued a warning to the voters. “The accusations that Shalva Papuashvili himself is spreading about our media—calling the independent editorial office ‘party media’ and accusing it of distributing content that TOK2region never published—are, in our view, yet another attack on our outlet,” TOK2region said in a statement.
Shalva Papuashvili’s attacks on independent media and efforts to discredit them have long been a persistent trend. The CMIS incident archive contains more than 10 documented cases of media attacks by the Chairman of the Georgian Dream Parliament. Independent and critical media were also a particular target of Papuashvili on October 4.
On October 4, 2025, while covering a protest rally in Tbilisi, Radio Liberty journalist Giorgi Diasamidze was physically and verbally assaulted by police.
In a video released by the outlet, Diasamidze can be heard telling a law enforcement officer that he is a journalist and asking why his work is being obstructed. Despite showing his press credentials, he was still targeted and attacked by the officer.
On October 4, 2025, on the day of the local government elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition), agitators from the Georgian Dream, Nato Gogelia, verbally confronted a journalist from TV Pirveli at one of the polling stations in Batumi. They first tried to prevent him from filming by covering his camera with their hands, and then cursed at the journalist.
Their irritation followed the journalist’s attempt to find out why they were standing at the polling station with lists and why they were registering voters.
On October 4, 2025, on the day of local elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition), former Prime Minister of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Gharibashvili, who was at the polling station, called journalists from TV Pirveli and Formula “scoundrels” and “main fakers” at the 11th polling station in Tbilisi.
His response followed questions from journalists about whether he himself was expecting to be arrested, since everyone around him was being detained.
On October 4, 2025, the day of the local self-government elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition), while at a polling station, Georgian Dream President Mikheil Kavelashvili called TV Pirveli journalist Ina Tsartsidze a “liar” and a representative of a “lying television.”
“You and your patrons are deceiving young people and the public, claiming that we are illegitimate,” Kavelashvili said in response to the journalist, who was trying to get an answer from him about whether he had been contacted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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.
On October 4, 2025, during the local government elections (which the opposition and a large part of society consider illegitimate), numerous cases of obstruction of work, threats, and verbal and physical abuse against media representatives were recorded.
Publicly reported incidents:
- Verbal attack on journalists
- Kakha Kaladze, the candidate for mayor of Tbilisi from the Georgian Dream, called journalists “impudent”. The incident took place at the 64th polling station in Tbilisi. After voting, Kakha Kaladze was talking about the protection of freedom of speech and expression in the country. A “Formula” journalist asked him what this meant, to which he replied – “There is some politeness, there is ethics, I understand that you have neither one nor the other.”
- The president of the Georgian Dream, Mikheil Kavelashvili, called TV Pirveli journalist Ina Tsartsidze a “liar” and a representative of a “liar television.” “You, your bosses, are deceiving the youth, the society, that we are illegitimate,” Kavelashvili replied to the journalist, who was trying to get an answer from him whether US President Donald Trump had contacted him.
- Former Prime Minister of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Gharibashvili, called journalists from TV Pirveli and Formula “scoundrels” and “main fakers” at the 11th polling station in Tbilisi. His response followed questions from journalists about whether he himself was expecting to be arrested, since everyone around him is being detained.
- Cases of interference with work of journalists were reported
4. At Akhaltsikhe polling station No. 6, the chairman of the precinct commission restricted journalist Nuka Stepnadze of the publication “Samkhretis Karibche” from filming at the polling station. He told the journalist that he could only film for 10 minutes. According to the publication, the chairman of the commission only allowed the journalist to continue working after the district commission contacted him and explained the rules.
5. In Batumi, at one of the polling stations, a journalist from “TV Pirveli” journalist, Nato Gogelia, was verbally confronted by agitators from the “Georgian Dream”. They first tried to prevent him from filming by covering his camera with their hands, and then cursed at the journalist. Their irritation followed the journalist’s attempt to find out why they were standing at the polling station with lists and why they were registering voters.
On October 4, 2025, the day of the local self-government elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition), while at a polling station, Tbilisi mayoral candidate Kakha Kaladze called journalists ill-mannered.
The incident took place in Tbilisi, at the 64th polling station. After voting, Kakha Kaladze spoke about the protection of freedom of speech and expression in the country. A journalist from Formula asked him what this meant, to which he replied, “There is some decency, there is ethics, I understand that you have neither the one nor the other.”
