The representatives of groups united under Georgia’s Public Assembly have issued an appeal to international and local media rights organizations, urging them to take a clear stance on what they describe as systematic legal violations and targeted persecution of independent and objective media by the country’s de facto government.
In a statement released on February 15, the Assembly representatives accused the authorities of using repressive legislation and excessive force to silence independent media and suppress ongoing mass protests against the government’s shift away from its European trajectory.
The statement warns that media and freedom of expression are under severe threat in Georgia, with state institutions, including the judiciary, being utilized as political tools. The Public Assembly also highlights that two journalists are currently imprisoned for political reasons and have resorted to hunger strikes in protest. Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the online outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, has been on a hunger strike for over 30 days, while Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov has refused food for more than 140 days.
The Assembly also reminds that during the protest rallies of November and December 2024, several journalists from various media outlets were injured while performing their professional duties. To date, none of these cases have been investigated.
”The repression against free speech and independent journalism has taken various forms, including the enactment of the Foreign Influence Transparency Law, which forced three media outlets—TV 25, Borjomi TV, and the online publication Mraldukhde—to cease operations.
Additionally, Vasil Ivanov-Chikovani, a news anchor for the Public Broadcaster’s “Moambe” program, has been temporarily suspended from his duties,” the statement reads.
The Public Assembly calls on media rights organizations to use all legitimate means at their disposal to secure the release of politically imprisoned journalists, demand immediate investigations into attacks on media personnel, and express solidarity with their colleagues in Georgia.
