On April 6, 2025, Indigo journalist Saba Sordia was detained near the Rustaveli Metro station. He is currently being held in the Digomi detention facility.
“Saba Sordia, a journalist from Indigo, has been unlawfully detained. He complied with police instructions — he opened his bag and provided his ID. When officers attempted to open the back pocket of his bag, Saba told them he would do it himself. This was interpreted as disobedience, and he was taken to the police station, then quickly transferred to the detention facility. He had a camera with him, which is now sealed. The police knew he was a journalist. Despite this, he remains in custody,” wrote Indigo’s executive director, Nata Dzevelishvili.
According to a statement released by Indigo, Saba Sordia’s detention has been extended, and it remains unclear when his court hearing will take place. The Media Advocacy Coalition responded to the detention, stating:
“Saba Sordia’s detention is yet another example of the systemic repressive policy against the media, the scale of which is growing by the day. Arresting journalists under the convenient pretext of ‘disobedience to police’ is an abuse of power by law enforcement agencies.”
On June 2, 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs rejected the appeal and fined Beqa Beridze, a graphic designer from 64, 5,000 GEL.
According to media reports, the Ministry accuses Beqa Beridze of blocking the road on February 11, 2025. Beridze appealed the fine imposed by the Ministry, but the appeal was not upheld. A representative of 64 stated that the decision will be challenged in court.
Since November 28, 2024, around 36 media representatives have been fined while performing their professional duties. Most of these cases are currently under review. So far, two journalists have been found in violation of the law by the court and have been issued administrative fines.
On May 29, 2025, a high-profile hearing in the case of Giorgi Bachiashvili was scheduled at Tbilisi City Court. The session, presided over by Judge Nana Shamatava, was held in a small courtroom. Despite the high public interest, part of the media was unable to attend the hearing. Some of the defendant’s relatives and family members were also not allowed to be present.
To recall, businessman Giorgi Bachiashvili previously headed the “Partnership Fund,” established by the “Georgian Dream” party and its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Criminal proceedings against him began in 2023. The Georgian justice system accuses him of misappropriating bitcoins valued at 500 million GEL. The investigation is widely known as the “Bitcoin Case.”
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and Transparency International Georgia responded to the court session:
“Organizing the hearing in such a small courtroom for a case of significant public interest violates the principle of public hearings, which is a core component of the right to a fair trial. This is particularly problematic given that the court had a reasonable opportunity to avoid it—at the time the session began, the court’s two largest rooms (Courtroom 1 and Courtroom 2) were available.”
On May 30, 2025, for the third time, journalists were restricted from entering the Tbilisi City Court building with their equipment and carrying out their work. Journalists who did not have prior permission to report from inside the courtroom were not allowed into the building, even though such prior permission is not required for journalists to work outside the courtroom.
Today, the court was reviewing the case of opposition political leader Nika Melia, who is being prosecuted for failing to appear before a parliamentary investigative commission.
According to journalists, correspondents carrying photo and/or video equipment were not allowed to enter the courtroom; only those without any recording gear were permitted to attend the hearing.
The court’s press office said the restrictions were related to security measures:
“Due to security concerns, there are restrictions today. Only media outlets that have been granted access to directly cover the proceedings will be allowed into the court building. We cannot provide any further information.”
On May 30, 2025, Judge Lela Tsagareishvili of the Tbilisi City Court reviewed the case of journalist and TV host Natia Gogsadze and fined her 5,000 GEL, despite the journalist’s claim that she was fulfilling her professional duties and had submitted relevant evidence. Judge Tsagareishvili is on Estonia’s list of sanctioned individuals.
Natia Gogsadze received the notice of the fine back when she was still a host at the TV company “Mtavari Arkhi,” on February 13, 2025. According to the administrative offense report, the Ministry of Internal Affairs accused the journalist of blocking the road during a pro-European protest on February 2, 2025.
Just a few days earlier, on May 23, Judge Zviad Tsekvava also imposed a 5,000 GEL fine on Mariam Kavshbaia, a journalist from the online outlet “Publika.”
Since November 28, 2024, during the period of pro-European protests, publicly available information indicates that there have been more than 35 instances where administrative reports were filed against journalists present at or working during the demonstrations.
On May 30, 2025, a meeting of the Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees was held. The board made amendments to the regulations document of the Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees.
According to the changes, attendance at public meetings of the Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees will now only be possible online. Anyone wishing to attend must send a request via email no later than two days before the meeting, following the publication of the meeting agenda. The amendments also define the procedures for attending and participating in the meeting process. These changes will come into effect on June 1, 2025.
Under the previous version of the Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees regulations, any interested person could attend the public meetings in person with prior notice.
On May 31, 2025, the editor-in-chief of the news agency “April,” Khatia Ghoghobersidze, published a post on Facebook stating that she had been fined 5,000 GEL for “blocking the road” while performing her professional duties.
According to the journalist, she was contacted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on April 4 and was informed about the imposed fine. After Khatia Ghoghobersidze explained to the police that she was engaged in journalistic work during a march and even sent them the material she had prepared about the event, the police requested time to investigate the matter. However, despite her explanations and the submitted evidence, she was issued a formal fine notice.
Khatia Ghoghobersidze plans to take legal action against the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to publicly available sources, since November 28, 2024, around 35 administrative fines have been issued. Most of these cases are still under review, both by the Ministry and the courts. So far, two journalists have been found guilty by the court and were fined administratively.
On May 31, 2025, Khatia Gogoberidze, editor-in-chief of the news agency April, posted on the social media platform Facebook that she had been fined 5,000 GEL for “artificially blocking the road” while performing her professional duties.
According to the journalist, the Ministry of Internal Affairs contacted her on April 4 to inform her of the fine. After Gogoberidze explained to the police that she was engaged in journalistic activity during the march and even provided the materials she had prepared about the event, the police requested time to review the matter. Despite her explanations and the evidence submitted, the journalist was still issued a formal notice of the fine.
Khatia Gogoberidze plans to pursue legal action against the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
On May 20, 2025 British journalist Will Neal has been denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022.
Will Neal is freelance journalist. On March 31 of this year, Neal published an investigatigation about Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s UK-registered companies and their connections to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream party.
The expulsion follows a hate campaign led by pro-government politicians and media outlets in response to Neal’s investigation into Georgian circles of power, as press freedom continues to deteriorate in the country.
The international organization Reporters Without Borders has issued a article regarding the journalist being denied entry at the border, saying: “The expulsion follows a hate campaign led by pro-government politicians and media outlets in response to Neal’s investigation into Georgian circles of power, as press freedom continues to deteriorate in the country.“
This is not the first time journalists have been denied entry to Georgia.
On May 22, 2025, a court hearing for politician Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze was held at Tbilisi City Court. The case has drawn significant public attention, and with it, strong interest from the media. Nevertheless, correspondents who arrived to cover the hearing and were carrying photo or video cameras were not allowed inside the court building. According to the journalists, the rules for entering the building had been changed without any prior notice.
Security personnel at the Tbilisi City Court did not provide an explanation for why the journalists were denied entry. Instead, they referred media representatives to the court’s press office, which did not respond to phone calls.
The issue of media representatives being denied access to court hearings and other public institutions appears to be becoming a recurring trend.
