On April 26, 2025, TV Pirveli aired an investigative report by journalist Maka Andronikashvili concerning a construction permit allegedly obtained through corrupt means on Levan Aleksidze Street.
During filming, the crew—journalist Maka Andronikashvili and her cameraman—were verbally abused and threatened with physical violence by Tamaz Kharaidze, the central figure in the investigation.
On April 24, 2025, Publika‘s reporter Mindia Gabadze was removed from a court session.
Judge Davit Tetrauli expelled the journalist from the courtroom for asking a question. Gabadze was covering the trial of businessman Giorgi Chkheidze.
This is not the first time Mindia Gabadze has faced interference while carrying out his professional duties. Previously, unidentified individuals physically assaulted him on Rustaveli Avenue, and nearby police officers failed to respond.
The removal of journalists from courtrooms without any justification is also increasingly being seen as part of a broader, troubling trend.
On April 17, 2025, Indigo journalist Saba Sordia was fined 2,500 GEL by Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Tsekvava. The journalist had been charged with disobedience to police.
Saba Sordia was detained on April 6 near Metro Station in Tbilisi. At the time of his arrest, he was not carrying out journalistic duties. According to his lawyer, Mariam Kavelashvili, the journalist was stopped for a “superficial inspection” and, after presenting his ID, was asked to fully open his bag. When Sordia responded that he would open the bag pockets himself, this was interpreted as noncompliance. By that point, the police already knew he was a journalist by profession.
Following his arrest, Saba Sordia spent 48 hours in a pretrial detention facility. He later stated that officers in the patrol car attempted to humiliate him over an earring he was wearing. His work-issued GoPro camera was also confiscated. The first court hearing in his case took place on April 8, and the verdict was announced on April 17.
The Media Advocacy Coalition has called this yet another instance of repressive policies targeting the media.
On April 17, 2025, the management of the First Channel of the Georgian Public Broadcaster imposed disciplinary sanctions on three employees who have criticized the channel’s editorial policy, which they allege is biased in favor of the government. The employees are: Realuri Sivrtse (Real Space) editor Tukha Kvinikadze, executive producer of the Weekend Show Tamar Chincharauli, and Weekend Show correspondent Ana Abakelia. The disciplinary orders were signed by the broadcaster’s director, Tinatin Berdzenishvili.
According to the orders, the employees were sanctioned for “calling into question the broadcaster’s editorial independence and impartiality through statements made in the public sphere, thereby causing reputational harm to the employer.” The sanction is effective for one year. If the employees continue to criticize the channel during this period, they risk dismissal.
With these latest actions, disciplinary sanctions have now been issued to a total of seven employees at the Public Broadcaster. On April 11, similar warnings were given to Realuri Sivrtse journalist Tamar Mshvenieradze and anchor Ioseb Katsitadze, as well as technical director and part-time sports director Kakha Melikidze, and branding and promotion director Irma Chubinidze. That same day, two of the channel’s prominent on-air personalities were dismissed for also criticizing the broadcaster’s editorial stance.
On April 12, 2025, Tabula news agency journalist Luka Katsitadze was fined 5,000 GEL for the alleged “illegal blocking of the road.”
The online outlet reports that Luka Katsitadze was performing his professional duties on Shota Rustaveli Avenue on April 12. The publication also notes that this is not the first instance in which journalists have been fined without legitimate grounds.
Center for Media, Information and Social Research has documented dozens of such cases.
The management of the First Channel of the Georgian Public Broadcaster has imposed disciplinary sanctions on four employees who have publicly criticized the channel’s editorial policy, accusing it of bias in favor of the government.
The employees are: journalist Tamar Mshvenieradze and anchor Ioseb Katsitadze from the program Realuri Sivrtse (Real Space), technical director and part-time sports channel director Kakha Melikidze, and branding and promotion director Irma Chubinidze.
Ioseb Katsitadze shared the disciplinary document on social media. According to the document, he is being sanctioned for “calling into question the broadcaster’s editorial independence and impartiality through public statements, thereby causing reputational harm to the employer.” The notice states that if Katsitadze repeats such conduct within the next 12 months, he will be dismissed. It is presumed that the same consequence may apply to the other three employees if they continue their criticism.
Katsitadze, Mshvenieradze, and Chubinidze are members of the Defenders of the Public Broadcaster movement and have been speaking out in recent months about political influence within the channel. On February 3, 2025, at a meeting of the broadcaster’s board of trustees, Kakha Melikidze publicly stated that the channel’s management interfered with his editorial work and repeatedly requested the on-air appearance of public officials during match broadcasts.
Today, April 11, it was also announced that the Public Broadcaster has dismissed two of its prominent on-air personalities, Nino Zautashvili and Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani, who had likewise criticized the station’s editorial policies.
On April 6, 2025, journalist Irina Makaridze, reporting for the newspaper “Qronika+” and the news agency “CNews“, was covering ongoing protest on Shota Rustaveli Avenue when she was fined 5,000 GEL by police for “illegally blocking the road.”
The journalist plans to appeal the fine.
Center for Media, Information and Social Research has documented dozens of similar cases.
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.”
