On October 21, 2025, journalist Vasil-Ivanov Chikovani was reportedly arrested for participating in a protest. According to media reports, his spouse was also detained. A judge imposed a fine of 5,000 GEL on him.
In the spring of 2025, Vasil-Ivanov Chikovani was dismissed from the Georgian Public Broadcaster due to his critical stance toward the broadcaster and his participation in protests.
New legislative changes introduced by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, have significantly restricted the freedoms of assembly and expression. Citizens and activists are being arrested for taking part in protests. In addition to Vasil-Ivanov Chikovani, Formula TV journalists Vakho Sanaia, Keta Tsitskishvili, and Tsira Zhvania were also detained. On October 22, Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze, a member of the Georgian Public Broadcaster Supervisory Board, was arrested. Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov was also detained for participating in protests.
The arrests of journalists by Georgian Dream have been widely criticized by both local and international organizations, which view them as an attack on media freedom and freedom of expression.
On October 22, 2025, Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze, a member of the Georgian Public Broadcaster Supervisory Board, was arrested at a protest.
Footage shows the journalist standing on the sidewalk, addressing the police. She was neither wearing a mask nor blocking the road.
Police used excessive force to detain Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze. Later, her lawyer reported that she sustained injuries to her neck during the arrest.
Lika Basialia-Shavgulidze is the fifth journalist to be detained since the ruling Georgian Dream party passed new restrictive legislative amendments in Parliament.
The Georgian Dream Parliament introduced several changes to laws that further limit the freedoms of assembly and expression. Over 80 people have been detained in the past few days under these changes.
The arrest of journalists by Georgian Dream is a direct attack on media freedom and freedom of expression. Under such conditions, the work of independent media faces serious threats, significantly restricting the public’s right to be informed, according to a statement by the Media Advocacy Coalition.
On Wednesday, October 22, Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov was detained at a protest for blocking the road.
Judge Zviad Tsekvava sentenced the journalist to 14 days of administrative imprisonment.
In recent days, journalists from the TV company “Formula” — Vakho Sanaia, Keta Tsitskishvili, and Tsira Zhvania — were detained on the grounds of blocking the road.
The Parliament of “Georgian Dream” passed amendments to the law that further restrict freedom of assembly and expression. Based on the amendment, more than 80 people have been detained in the past few days.
Both local and international organizations have reacted to the detention of journalists.
“The detention of journalists by ‘Georgian Dream’ is a direct attack on media and freedom of expression. Under such conditions, the work of independent media is under serious threat, which significantly limits the democratic society’s right to be informed,” states the Media Advocacy Coalition’s statement.
On Tuesday, October 21, Tsira Zhvania, a social media journalist for TV Company “Formula”, was detaned for blocking a road during a protest. According to the TV company, she was met by two police officers at her home.
The Tbilisi City Court sentenced the journalist to 10 days of administrative detention.
This is the third case when, based on the tightened legislation, journalists have been detained on the grounds of blocking a road during a protest. On October 19, Vakho Sanaia, a journalist and TV presenter for TV Company “Formula”, was arrested and sentenced to 6 days in prison. On October 20, Keta Tsitskishvili, a journalist for the same TV company, was arrested and sentenced to 5 days in prison. “The arrest of journalists by the Georgian Dream is a direct attack on the freedom of the media and expression. In such conditions, the activities of independent media are facing serious threats, which significantly restricts the right of a democratic society to be informed,” the Media Advocacy Coalition said in a statement.
On October 16, “Georgian Dream” passed another set of legislative changes in an accelerated procedure, within two days, which further tighten sanctions against citizens participating in protest demonstrations and significantly restrict the freedom of assembly and expression. Amendments have been introduced to both the Criminal Code of Georgia and the Code of Administrative Offenses.
According to the amendments, administrative detention of up to 15 days is now imposed without a fine for wearing masks at protests, possessing tear gas, or blocking roads. Furthermore, judges will no longer have the authority to impose fines as an administrative penalty in cases of administrative offenses, and demonstrators may face administrative detention of up to 60 days if:
- Firearms, flammable substances, cold weapons, or pyrotechnics are found at the protest;
- The police decide to disperse the assembly and the demonstrator does not comply.
Additionally, the changes also affected the Criminal Code, according to which the repeated commission of such actions will result in criminal liability and imprisonment of up to one year, and in each subsequent instance, up to two years.
Moreover, the amendments introduced criminal liability for repeated offenses against law enforcement officers. Specifically, if a citizen verbally insults a police officer multiple times or refuses to comply with their lawful order, this action will be punishable by imprisonment of up to one year. In cases of repetition, the punishment is stricter and may result in imprisonment of up to two years.
Non-governmental organizations have sharply criticized these changes, stating that they pose a threat to the fundamental principles of democracy. According to them, the new regulations not only restrict the right to peaceful protest but also create an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship in society, where citizens may be punished merely for expressing their opinions.
These changes are a continuation of the recent trend of repressive legislation adopted by “Georgian Dream.”
On Monday, October 20, journalist and TV presenter Keta Tsitskishvili from the TV company Formula was detaned. According to media reports, she is accused of blocking a road. A day earlier, on October 19, journalist Vakho Sanaia was detaned on the same charge and sentenced to five days in prison.
The Media Advocacy Coalition condemned Tsitskishvili’s arrest, calling it an act of pressure and an attack on independent media.
“The arrest of journalists by Georgian Dream is a direct assault on the media and freedom of expression. Under such conditions, the work of independent media faces serious threats, severely limiting the public’s right to information in a democratic society,” the coalition said in a statement.
On October 19, Vakho Sanaia, a journalist and TV presenter for the TV company Formula, was detained. He is accused of blocking a road, and the Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to six days of administrative detention.
That same day, police also arrested several other participants of the rally, accusing them of blocking the road and covering their faces during the protest. The ruling Georgian Dream party recently tightened legislation, replacing fines with imprisonment for concealing one’s face at rallies.
The Media Advocacy Coalition condemned the journalist’s arrest, calling it “a gross violation of media freedom and freedom of speech.”
On October 17, the security guards of the TV “Pirveli” did not allow the camera crew to move around the area surrounding the residential building of Otar Partskhaladze and interfered with their activities.
Due to high public interest, the journalist tried to film the situation near the house of former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, but the security guards on site stepped forward and did not allow the journalist to approach the house, at which time they restricted the possibility of filming.
On the same day, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia held a briefing, where acting Prosecutor Giorgi Gvarakidze stated that searches were conducted in the homes of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, former Head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili, and former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze. The Prosecutor’s Office has not specified under which articles the investigation is ongoing, whether the case is related to a new investigation, and whether the arrest of former high-ranking officials is planned.
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 October 9, 2025, the Communications Commission issued a written warning to the television broadcasters “Formula” and “Formula Multimedia”, as well as the radio broadcasters “Journalists’ Union Khalkis Khma”, “Radio-TV Nori” and “Systema Gama” and ordered them to cease receiving funding from foreign powers for violating the Law of Georgia “On Broadcasting”.
According to the Commission’s statement: “Based on the fact that the broadcasters have received the above-mentioned funding after the law was amended and funding from foreign powers was prohibited, and the funding cannot be used in exceptional cases specified by law (commercial advertising, teleshopping, sponsorship or product placement in the program)”, the Commission considered the broadcasters to be violators of the law.
This is the first precedent for the enforcement of the law, which concerns the new regulation included in the Law on Broadcasting, which prohibits direct or indirect funding of a broadcaster from a foreign power from April 1, 2025. Since the date of adoption, the amendments have caused public discussion and criticism, in particular, assessments that the new norm may become a tool for restricting the financial and editorial freedom of independent media. During the session, representatives of radio broadcasters noted that without the aforementioned funding, they may have to stop broadcasting.
