Former MEP Viola von Cramon: media freedom in Georgia under threat after TV host's arrest

Former European Parliament member Viola von Cramon has criticised the Georgian authorities following the detention of Formula TV presenter Vakho Sanaia, saying media freedom in the country "no longer exists" and that journalists and activists face constant pressure.

In a post on social media on Wednesday, von Cramon said Georgia's government continued to take increasingly troubling steps.

"Whenever I read news about the Georgian government, I think it cannot get any worse, but the authorities prove the opposite," she wrote. "Media freedom no longer exists, activists and journalists are under constant pressure, and the political opposition is in prison."

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 sentence after a hearing that Sanaia did not attend.