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.