Georgia: the violence against reporters covering protests has been met with shocking impunity
More than 70 reporters have been attacked in Georgia — some of them assaulted multiple times — while covering the protests that began three weeks ago. Alarmed, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condems the police’s systematic, organised violence and urges the European Union (EU) to act against the impunity of Georgia’s law enforcement, which threatens the country’s democracy.
Over 70 journalists have been subjected to various attacks — some multiple times — and half of them have been injured. The attacks include beatings, blasts from water cannons, tear gas, arrests, insults, obstructions to their work, and equipment damage. Georgian police have been targeting reporters covering the protests that erupted on 28 November after the prime minister suspended the EU membership process. The first two nights of protests included particularly brutal assaults, and accounted for nearly half of the 87 cases documented by RSF, based on reports from local organisations. Over the past week, pro-Russian lawmakers from the Georgian Dream party, elected on 26 October amid electoral fraud, have rushed to adopt legislative amendments further intensifying the crackdown.
"Georgian Dream is a nightmare for democracy and the media outlets exposing the party's authoritarian actions. The total impunity of law enforcement, together with new laws, severely threaten the right to reliable information. Beyond the question of EU accession, these events represent a critical fight for Georgia’s independence in the face of Russian influence. RSF urgently calls on the EU to take strong action and launch an international investigation into the violence committed against journalists to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Systematic, coordinated violence
Law enforcement has resorted to brutal repression, including the use of tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons mixed with chemicals. Several journalists have suffered chemical burns and severe injuries, some requiring weeks of recovery before they can return to work on the ground. Although the Special Investigation Service, a public entity created in cooperation with the EU to defend human rights, announced investigations into violence against journalists, its chronic ineffectiveness offers little hope for accountability.
One of the most severe cases of abuse was that of reporter Guram Rogava, who narrowly escaped paralysis. While broadcasting live on Formula TV, he was spotted by a group of police officers who violently assaulted him, injuring his spine. Another example of this intense violence occured on 29 November, when ten riot police officers surrounded Realpolitik editor Aka Zarkua, repeatedly beat him, hurled insults, and attempting to shove his press card into his mouth. On the first night of the protests, OC Media founder Mariam Nikuradze was deliberately targeted by a water cannon, which injured her leg and damaged her equipment. On 1 and 2 December, while Mariam Nikuradze was filming, an officer shoved her against a wall, breaking her second camera. Summoned by police, she was questioned on 10 December in an investigation accusing her of “organising group violence”.
The violence appears to be coordinated between law enforcement and masked, unidentified groups. On 7 December, a man struck TV Pirveli journalist Maka Chikhladze violently in the head during a live broadcast, while her cameraman, Giorgi Shetsiruli, was thrown to the ground and beaten as nearby police officers stood by. Their live-streaming equipment was seized during the attack.
This was also the case for Publika, a media outlet specialising in public policy: “We cannot recover our professional equipment, confiscated by the police without any official procedure. They told us it was lost”, explained Aleksandre Keshelashvili, who was hospitalised with a fractured nose after being arrested and beaten by police.
Laws escalating the crackdown
Since 11 December, the government adopted legislative amendments that tightened restrictions on peaceful assemblies. The measures include a ban on wearing masks, which is essential for journalists exposed to chemical agents, and significantly increased fines for minor damages or traffic disruptions, which could be used to target reporters covering protests. Another amendment has further increased the police’s power by expanding the list of grounds justifying administrative arrest, personal searches, and the search and confiscation of belongings.
These events reflect a broader decline in Georgian democracy, particularly when it comes to press freedom, as highlighted in an alarming report by RSF and nine partner organisations published on the eve of the legislative elections. Most notably, the Transparency of Foreign Influence Law adopted in August, which was accompanied by a hate campaign against journalists, threatens the existence of media outlets financed by international funds.
