On June 19, 2025, Tbilisi City Court Judge Giorgi Arevadze hampered media representatives’ work during the trial of a “prisoner of conscience”, Archil Muselianti.

According to journalists, the trial was held in a hall divided by a glass door and window, the voices of the speakers could not reach beyond the dividing wall, which is why media representatives asked the judge to place microphones inside, but the judge did not allow them to do so.

Media representatives left the trial because, according to them, there was no sound in the hall and it was impossible to understand the content of the session.

Recently, the judicial system has significantly restricted the activities of the media in relation to the coverage of court proceedings. Between May 22 and June 19, 2025, four cases (on May 22, 23, 29, and 30)were recorded at the Tbilisi City Court when reporters with photo/video cameras were not allowed into the building. On June 10 and 11, the hearing was completely closed to the media, including those who had the right to film. Also on June 11, Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili threatened a Public journalist with a ban on taking photos during the trial. All cases occurred during trials of high public interest, which are considered political cases.

The Media Advocacy Coalition considers the court’s new practice to be illegal. According to the organization, this sets a dangerous precedent and reveals the Georgian Dream’s deliberate restrictive policy towards the media. “Banning media access to court proceedings is not only a violation of the rights of journalists, but also an infringement of the entire society’s right to information,” the statement says.