On February 4, 2025, Gela Mtivlishvili, founder and editor of the outlet Mtis Ambebi, published a Facebook post revealing that a vehicle belonging to the newsroom was deliberately damaged.
According to Mtivlishvili, the same individual who damaged the car later came to his residence and knocked on his door. He also shared a photo on social media as evidence of the incident.
“In the morning, the company vehicle was damaged. CCTV footage shows a person deliberately throwing a stone at the windshield three times to break it. We’ve already reported it to 112. The thing is, this person lives in the same building and has access to the security system and the entrance codes. I’ve never done anything but good for him, which is why it’s clear to me that someone told him to do this,” the journalist wrote.
Gela Mtivlishvili has previously been the target of both verbal and physical attacks by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the police.
On February 4, during a protest held outside the Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi, police unlawfully obstructed journalists from carrying out their professional duties and physically assaulted three of them:
While on assignment, a police officer violently struck NEWS.On.ge editor-in-chief Vancent Khabeshvili in the head, knocking him to the ground.
According to Publika, police also assaulted their journalist, Natia Levershvili, during her professional duties near the Parliament — officers reportedly hit her and pulled her hair.
A masked officer attempted to seize the phone of OC Media journalist Givi Avaliani, who was filming the arrest of a protester.
“I was recording a person being detained during the assault on journalists at Parliament, when one of the masked officers grabbed my phone and tried to take it,” Avaliani wrote.
The protest outside Parliament was held in support of Batumelebi founder and editor Mzia Amaghlobeli, who has been on a hunger strike for 24 days in protest.
On February 4, 2025, The Georgian Public Broadcaster temporarily suspended journalist Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani from hosting the 6:00 PM news program Moambe.
The journalist himself shared the news on Facebook. The reason for the suspension was the refusal of Moambe producers to continue working with Ivanov-Chikovani.
“I no longer host the 6:00 PM Moambe. The official explanation – as you may know, at today’s Board of Trustees meeting, the producers of Moambe expressed their position regarding your public statements (including those made on air) and declared their refusal to continue working with you as a host,” the journalist wrote.
The Media Advocacy Coalition responded to the incident, expressing solidarity with Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani and all his colleagues who are fighting for editorial independence and responsible journalism at the Public Broadcaster.
“The Media Advocacy Coalition condemns the Public Broadcaster’s leadership for the temporary suspension of Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani from anchoring the news. This decision aims to silence an objective, impartial journalist who actively supports Georgia’s European path, along with his colleagues,” the coalition stated.
Update: On February 26, 2025, the Moambe news program on the Public Broadcaster’s First Channel was hosted by a new anchor, Lasha Berdzenishvili, instead of Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani.
On February 15, 2025, Mtavari Arkhi’s broadcasting was suspended. According to a statement released by the TV station, all programming has been halted due to a financial crisis allegedly manufactured by Zaza Okuashvili, the channel’s co-founder.
Mtavari Arkhi had already issued a statement a few weeks earlier about an escalating internal conflict between the founders.
It is worth noting that the broadcasting sector is facing serious challenges. This year alone, two regional broadcasters have already ceased operations. In such a context, the suspension of independent media outlets significantly harms an already fragile pluralistic media environment.
On February 10, 2025, Tbilisi City Court found Mtavari Arkhi cameraman Sergi Baramidze guilty of an offense and issued him a verbal warning — despite the fact that he had been assaulted by law enforcement while performing his professional duties.
Baramidze was violently detained on November 19 of the previous year while on assignment. He was later released after signing a written statement.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Internal Affairs filed an administrative offense report against the cameraman. According to the report, on November 19, Baramidze allegedly disrupted public order, used profanity, shouted insults without clear direction, interfered with the lawful detention of another individual, and refused to stop his actions despite multiple warnings. He was charged under Article 166 (petty hooliganism) and Article 173, Part 1 (disobedience to a lawful police order) of the Administrative Offenses Code.
At the hearing on February 10, the judge dropped the case under Article 166 (petty hooliganism) but found Baramidze guilty under Article 173 (interference with police) and issued a verbal reprimand.
On February 12, 2025, Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs filed a case against Publika journalist and photojournalist Aleksandre Keshelashvili. The ministry accuses him of violating Articles 166 and 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code, which relate to petty hooliganism and disobedience to police. The court hearing is scheduled for February 25 at 4:00 PM.
The alleged offense took place on November 19, 2024—the same day Keshelashvili himself became the target of police violence. He was arrested and brutally beaten while covering a pro-European protest in Tbilisi.
“I kept repeating that I was a journalist, but it seemed to have the opposite effect—they were already cursing me, and then added more abuse because I was from the media. They made me walk through a sort of ‘corridor’ where they beat me, mostly in the face,” Keshelashvili said.
He required medical treatment and underwent nasal surgery. Although the Special Investigation Service opened an inquiry into the assault, not a single law enforcement officer has been held accountable to date.
The Georgian Public Broadcaster did not renew the employment contract of Ana Metreveli, assistant producer of the radio programs “Afternoon Peak” and “Evening Peak.” She was an employee who had criticized the channel’s editorial policy.
In a conversation with “Publika,” Ana Metreveli stated that management made the decision without consulting the main producer. She links this decision to her recent activism. Ana Metreveli is a member of the organization “Defenders of the Georgian Public Broadcaster,” a union of employees advocating for the protection of public broadcasting principles.
The official reason given for not renewing her contract was cost optimization. Ana publicly disclosed her salary, which was 490 GEL (net).
This is the second such incident recently at the Georgian Public Broadcaster. On February 4, 2025, the Georgian Public Broadcaster temporarily suspended journalist Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani, the anchor of the 6 PM news, from hosting the program. He had also criticized the channel’s editorial policy.
On June 3, 2025, officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Tasks Department physically confronted TV Pirveli cameraman Sergi Baramidze.
In a video released by the television station, the cameraman is seen filming when a man—reportedly a security officer from the department—approaches him and attempts to forcibly remove him from the area. It’s important to note that the TV Pirveli crew was not on the department’s premises but outside the perimeter.
According to journalist Nanuka Kajaia, the incident occurred after the crew asked a question regarding Zviad Kharazishvili, head of the Special Tasks Department, also known as “Kharabe.” The TV Pirveli team was trying to find out whether Kharazishvili was affected by the recent staffing changes at the Ministry of Internal Affairs following the appointment of the new minister, Gela Geladze.
On June 4, 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs fined Nino Baidauri, a journalist for the online outlet Netgazeti, 5,000 GEL. She is accused of blocking Rustaveli Avenue on March 21.
The journalist shared the news on Facebook, posting a screenshot of a text message sent by the Ministry:
“You have been fined under Article 174^1, Part 5. Date: 21/03/2025. Location: Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue, near the Parliament building.”
According to publicly available sources, the Center for Media, Information and Social Research (CMIS) has been documenting cases of journalists being fined for blocking roads while covering pro-European protests since November 28, 2024. Nino Baidauri is the 37th journalist fined by the Ministry for this reason.
On June 4, 2025, Nino Baiduri, a journalist for the online publication Netgazeti, was fined 5,000 GEL by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. She is accused of blocking Rustaveli Avenue on March 21.
The journalist wrote about the fine on the social media platform Facebook, attaching the short text message she received from the Ministry:
“You have been fined under Article 174, Paragraph 5. Date: 21/03/2025. Location: Tbilisi, Rustaveli Avenue, near the Parliament building.”
According to publicly available sources, the Media, Information, and Social Research Center (CMIS) has been documenting cases of journalists fined for blocking roads while covering pro-European protests, based on publicly accessible information, since November 28, 2024.
