Tbilisi City Court Judge Ekaterine Eliadze dismissed the lawsuit filed by Nino Zautashvili, a dismissed journalist and host, against the Public Broadcaster.
According to Zautashvili’s lawyer, Giorgi Iasashvili, they were seeking the annulment of the dismissal order and her reinstatement to the corresponding position.
“I know that I will see this case through to the end, and I will spare neither time nor energy for it. I know for a fact that I am right, and the judge also knew that the truth was on my side. In these terribly difficult times, when so many unjust decisions have been made, the single most important task remains ensuring the institutional independence of the judiciary,” Nino Zautashvili told Media Checker.
The Tbilisi City Court also dismissed the lawsuit of former Moambe anchor Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani, who sought the annulment of his dismissal order from the Public Broadcaster. This decision was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeals.
The Public Broadcaster dismissed Nino Zautashvili, the host of the program Real Space, along with Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani on April 11, 2025.
On April 24, TV Imedi a broadcaster sanctioned by the United Kingdom for spreading Russian disinformation published a social media post accusing the critical news outlet TV Pirveli of manipulation. The post concerns a report by TV Pirveli claiming that 60% of those granted Georgian citizenship in 2025 were Russian citizens.
TV Imedi writes that “beyond the statistical figure intended to mislead the public, the opposition media says nothing about the fact that restoration, retention, or the granting of citizenship by way of exception can be requested by former Georgian citizens or citizens who have either already lost or have not yet lost their Georgian citizenship after acquiring the citizenship of another country.”
The post features a photo of Nodar Meladze, the head of TV Pirveli’s news service, with the word “Manipulation” stamped across it in red. TV Imedi frequently publishes posts targeting the critical broadcaster TV Pirveli and its news director, Nodar Meladze.
On April 20, Judge Liana Kazhashvili announced a decision in which the court denied the complaint filed by former employees of “Real Space.”
The program “Real Space” aired on the Public Broadcaster until May 5, 2025, when the channel’s management decided to cancel the show. The “Real Space” staff subsequently sued the Public Broadcaster’s management. The decision announced on April 20 concerned the dismissal of Ketevan Kapanadze, Ioseb Katsitadze, Tamar Mshvenieradze, Omar Tsotsoria, and Tukha Kvinikadze. They are seeking the annulment of their dismissal orders and reinstatement to their respective positions at “Real Space” under the terms of their permanent employment contracts dated December 30, 2022.
Since November 2024, following the start of pro-European protests, demonstrators have been demanding open access to the airwaves. Employees of the Public Broadcaster joined this demand, and the “Real Space” team also openly criticized the channel’s editorial policy.
On April 11, 2025, the Public Broadcaster dismissed “Real Space” host Nino Zautashvili and “Moambe” anchor Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani. On May 1, “Real Space” was officially closed, and the contracts of team members who declined new offers were terminated.
On April 15, the bank accounts of three civil activists – Natia Megrelishvili, Natia Artmeladze, and Tamta Chkhaidze were seized for non-payment of fines, of which none of them had been notified. The activists reported the seizure on social media.
Tamta Chkhaidze, the spouse of “prisoner of conscience” Giorgi Okmelashvili and an active participant in protests, has been fined a total of 25,000 GEL. In comments to Batumelebi, she stated that she does not intend to pay the fines and has appealed the seizure. Giorgi Okmelashvili, a participant in protests against the so-called “Russian law,” was sentenced on May 17, 2024 to 5 years of imprisonment on charges of insulting a police officer.
Under Article 174¹ of the Code of Administrative Offences, “artificial blocking of the road” constitutes a violation of the rules governing the organization and conduct of assemblies and demonstrations. Since February 7, 2025, the fine for “artificially blocking the road” has increased tenfold to 5,000 GEL. Hundreds of participants in pro-European protests have reportedly been issued such fines, with the cumulative amount reaching several million GEL. Where fines remain unpaid, enforcement measures include the seizure of bank accounts. Multiple such cases have already been documented.
Civil activist Vakhtang Gagnidze, an active participant in the ongoing protests, was sentenced to 3 days of administrative detention by Judge Koba Chagunava.
According to Gagnidze’s lawyer, Dimitri Vardiashvili, the court considered several cases jointly, including allegations of artificially blocking a roadway and creating an obstruction for pedestrians on the sidewalk. Both offences fall under Article 174¹, paragraph 10 of the Code of Administrative Offences. The lawyer stated that Gagnidze was unable to attend the hearing due to his health condition. According to the same source, he suffers from severe pain and is simultaneously raising funds to cover medical treatment expenses.
Following the court’s decision, Gagnidze wrote on social media: “I could have avoided administrative detention for myself — you are aware of my surgeries and you also know that my rehabilitation is not going very well. But this is a different matter… When my friends are being detained on absurd charges allegedly for restricting pedestrians on the sidewalk when my fellow protesters are imprisoned for years because of protest, I cannot run around holding a piece of paper and boast that ‘they cannot detain me, I am untouchable.’
There is another issue: I, who a month ago was facing the possibility of losing my leg and survived, now have to undergo rehabilitation in damp conditions. From a human perspective, this makes no sense they could have given me some time to recover and then imposed detention. It’s alright everything will be fine.”
Civil activist Shako Baghdoshvili, who was detained during the confrontation that took place near the April 9 Memorial and who himself sustained physical injuries, was held for several hours in a police station and was ultimately released, with the police stating that he had been questioned as a witness.
The incident occurred on April 9, when members of “Georgian Dream” appeared at the site. Before their arrival, so-called “titushky” approached the protesters who had spent the night near Parliament. A verbal and physical confrontation then took place between the protesters and the citizens present at the scene. According to the protesters, active participants in the ongoing demonstrations were physically assaulted by a supporter of “Georgian Dream.” Shako Baghdoshvili sustained serious injuries, the traces of which were clearly visible on him. Despite this, instead of detaining the assailants, the police detained Baghdoshvili. His lawyer spent several hours trying to establish his whereabouts. Late at night, the police stated that he had been questioned as a witness and, after being held for several hours, Baghdoshvili was released.
It should be recalled that, on the same day and in the same circumstances, another activist, Shota Odishvili, was also detained. He was wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of Bidzina Ivanishvili with an obscene inscription. Judge Zviad Tsekvava of the Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to 10 days of administrative detention, purportedly on the grounds of petty hooliganism and disobedience to police.
Civil activist Shota Odishvili was sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention by Judge Zviad Tsekvava of the Tbilisi City Court. The case concerns allegations of disobedience to police.
Odishvili, who had referred to the honorary chair of “Georgian Dream,” Bidzina Ivanishvili, in an insulting manner, was detained on April 9 near the April 9 Memorial, as representatives of “Georgian Dream” arrived at the site and police attempted to remove activists using force.
According to the detainee’s lawyer, Marika Arevadze, the Ministry of Internal Affairs charged him with petty hooliganism and disobedience to a lawful order of a police officer.
The bank accounts of Elene Akhobadze, the mother of “prisoner of conscience” Saba Skhvitaridze, have been placed under seizure. The information was disclosed by Akhobadze herself via social media. “Yesterday, on the Feast of the Annunciation, during Holy Week, this ‘religious’ government, without any prior notice, imposed a seizure on my accounts over a non-existent fine. I have not received any notification or fine,” she wrote.
Under Article 174¹ of the Code of Administrative Offences, “artificial blocking of the road” constitutes a violation of the rules governing the organization and conduct of assemblies and demonstrations. Since February 7 of last year, the fine for “artificially blocking the road” has increased tenfold to 5,000 GEL. Hundreds of participants in pro-European protests have reportedly been issued such fines, with the cumulative amount reaching several million GEL. Where fines remain unpaid, enforcement measures include the seizure of bank accounts. Multiple such cases have already been documented.
On April 3, Judge Tornike Kapanadze of the Tbilisi City Court found three civil activists liable for administrative offences in connection with a protest held on a sidewalk. One of them, Abkhaz war participant Zosime Bzhalava, was sentenced to 2 days of administrative detention, while the other two – Naniko Bedineishvili and Vika Dzandzava – received a verbal warning.
According to Bzhalava’s lawyer, Malkhaz Pataraia, Zosime Bzhalava is an internally displaced person from Abkhazia. In his assessment, the court’s decision is unlawful and incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution.
Administrative proceedings against citizens in relation to sidewalk protests commenced following legislative amendments adopted by Georgian Dream on 12 December 2025. The amendments were adopted following accelerated parliamentary consideration over a three-day period. As a result of these amendments, protest activity on sidewalks was, in effect, also prohibited. For a first violation, the legislation provides for administrative detention for a period of up to 15 days (up to 20 days in the case of an organizer), while a repeated violation may result in the imposition of criminal liability. According to the assessment of Transparency International Georgia, “the detention of an individual for standing on a sidewalk, even under administrative procedure, let alone the imposition of criminal punishment cannot withstand any criticism when assessed against the standards of freedom of assembly guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia and by international human rights instruments.”
Civil activists Tornike Toshkhua and Mindia Shervashidze, who were arrested in August 2025 on charges of group violence, were found guilty by the court and each sentenced to one year of imprisonment. The decision was delivered on April 1 by Judge Elene Goguadze of the Tbilisi City Court. The sentence is to be calculated from the date of arrest.
Tornike Toshkhua (37) and Mindia Shervashidze (33) are participants in the pro-European protests on Rustaveli Avenue. They were arrested on August 16, following an incident that occurred on August 1. On that day, the activists attempted to remove from the area an individual armed with a knife – identified as Georgian Dream supporter Beka Gotsiridze, who was allegedly attempting to provoke a confrontation. The attempt resulted in an incident.
Subsequently, the Prosecutor’s Office brought charges against the activists under the provision of group violence (Article 126¹, paragraph 1, subparagraph “b” of the Criminal Code of Georgia). The court did not accept the defense’s argument that the defendants had acted within the bounds of necessary self-defense. Legal representatives have assessed the decision as setting a dangerous precedent.
