Tbilisi court orders Formula TV to pay 10,000 lari in moral damages to filmmaker Khaindrava

Tbilisi City Court has upheld a lawsuit filed by Georgian filmmaker Goga Khaindrava and ordered Formula TV to pay 10,000 lari in compensation for moral damages.

The dispute concerned a report that Khaindrava described as containing false accusations and defamation. The report alleged that he was involved in a suspected corruption scheme and the illegal entry of foreign nationals into Georgia.

Formula TV said the lawsuit had been described as an attempt to intimidate and exert pressure on investigative journalists.

The broadcaster also said the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists had issued an alert over the case.