How the Georgian government increases pressure on journalists and where its policies are heading
Protests in Georgia have been ongoing non-stop since the autumn of 2024.
Meanwhile, authoritarianism is rapidly taking hold in the country, with government actions resembling Stalinist repression.
According to Georgian journalist and editor at InZeitung Freiburg, Ketevan Bakhia, the situation has escalated to the point where journalists are being fined simply for doing their jobs.
Read more in the column by Ketevan Bakhia – Journalists under the terror of repression: how the Georgian government is cracking down on press freedom.
The author reminds us that in October 2024, Georgian Dream – the ruling party, led since 2012 by an oligarch (whose name is deliberately withheld here) – seized power through massive election fraud to continue its one-party rule and strengthen ties with Russia instead of turning away from it.
"Only civil society stands in its way – educated, brave, committed, and freedom-loving people who demand their voices back and persistently call for new elections," Bakhia points out.
Since 28 November 2024, after the Prime Minister from Georgian Dream officially froze the partnership with the EU, protests have been ongoing, without pause.
So far, there hasn’t been a single concession, says the author.
According to her, the ruling party has consolidated its power over the years, and the judges now rubber-stamp unlawful accusations.
Additionally to this, she adds, is police harassment, which, just like in Mzia Amaglobeli’s (a prominent Georgian journalist) case, extends to verbal and physical humiliation and assaults on detainees, with the perpetrators feeling protected on all sides.
The case of journalist Guram Rogava is another stark example, where violence was used as a method of intimidation.
Journalist Vasili Ivanov-Chikovani, a leading spokesperson for the public broadcaster, not only showed solidarity with his imprisoned colleague but also dared to engage in a professional dispute with the station’s management. His courageous stance ended with his suspension.
The latest numbers speak for themselves: 18 million lari (about 6,2 mln euro), the total fines the city has imposed on peaceful protesters so far. The standard fine for traffic disruption has been raised to 5,000 lari (about 1,700 euro), 19 times higher than the subsistence minimum in Georgia.
According to information from the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, 13 journalists have received such fines while carrying out their duties.
House searches, evidence manipulation, and other forms of harassment have become routine.
"Fight before it’s too late!" – the message from renowned Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, sent from prison after she began her hunger strike in mid-January 2025.
Is it already too late to ignite a wave of justice?
"The propaganda fairy tale spun by Georgian Dream, with its phantom actors and conspiracy theories, has not only lulled politicians from the EU and the US but also 40% of the Georgian population, albeit for different reasons," writes Bakhia.
She adds that Georgian Dream bluffed plunged the population into panic with the looming threat of a "second front."
Yet, while Georgian Dream boasts of supposedly having predicted the future by aligning with Russia, Georgia is being dragged back into the past.