181 journalists said injured while covering Georgia protests since November 2024

Report on media pressure in Georgia

According to a study by the Centre for Media, Information and Social Research (CMIS), 181 media workers were harmed while covering protests in Georgia from 28 November 2024 onwards.

Over the past year, CMIS recorded 434 incidents involving violations of the rights of journalists, media outlets, and organisations supporting press freedom.

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The following violations were recorded:

• Politically motivated persecution – 1 case
• Physical violence and bodily harm – 122 cases
• Illegal interference in journalistic work – 104 cases
• Incidents involving violations of rights – 102 cases
• Verbal abuse, intimidation and discrediting – 108 cases
• Attacks on property – 29 cases
• Labour rights violations (from January 2025 to present) – 22 cases, all involving the Public Broadcaster
• Unjustified denial of entry to the country (foreign journalists) – 9 cases

On 26 October 2024, the day of the parliamentary elections, CMIS recorded 70 violations of journalists’ rights.

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Report highlights pressure on media in Georgia

“Georgia’s media environment is in a critical state. Over the past year, independent journalists and outlets have faced a wide range of violations, including physical attacks, unlawful detention or arrest, interrogations, bans on filming, denial of access to government buildings, illegal fines, verbal abuse, threats, and more.

Despite the scale of these issues, not a single perpetrator — including those publicly identified — has been held accountable.

On 6 August this year, Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was sentenced to two years in prison. Local and international organisations have described her conviction as politically motivated and called for her immediate release.

At the same time, independent media and civil society actors defending press freedom have become targets of repressive legislation.

The parliament, controlled by the Georgian Dream party, has passed a series of laws and amendments that pose an existential threat to independent outlets and civil society,” the report published by CMIS states.