Journalist’s detention reflects push towards authoritarian rule in Georgia, analyst

Georgian political analyst Gia Nodia said the detention of Formula TV presenter Vakho Sanaia was part of the ruling Georgian Dream party's “efforts” to establish an “authoritarian system” in the country.

"Georgian Dream is persistently and systematically moving towards its stated goal of establishing a fully authoritarian regime in Georgia," Nodia said on Wednesday.

He described Sanaia's detention as part of a broader "frontal attack" on Georgian society, arguing that the authorities were increasingly restricting dissent.

Nodia also criticised the government's justification for recent legislation, saying officials had previously defended the controversial foreign agents law by drawing comparisons with Western legislation and were likely to make similar arguments regarding the latest case.

Sanaia was detained outside his home on Wednesday after Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to 14 days of administrative detention over a social media post concerning Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and ruling Georgian Dream lawmaker Vladimer Bozhadze. 

Judge Zviad Tsekvava handed down the ruling after a hearing that Sanaia did not attend.