Media freedom on the line in Georgia’s election

People carrying European and Georgian flags march in an October 20, 2024 pro-Europe rally in Tbilisi ahead of the October 26 Georgian election. (Photo: AFP/Vano Shlamov)

On October 26, Georgia heads into what is widely viewed as its most critical election since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 as the incumbent party Georgian Dream is pitted against a loose coalition of pro-Western parties.

Members of the media say the election could be a turning point for press freedom. In May, parliament overrode a presidential veto to pass a Russian-style “foreign agents” law, directly targeting the heavily donor-reliant independent press. If Georgian Dream wins the parliamentary election, it has vowed to crack down on what it calls the “collective” opposition, a threat many fear extends to pro-opposition journalists.

On a recent mission to Georgia, CPJ spoke with members of the media, advocates, and a journalist turned opposition politician about the stakes of the vote and how independent media can persevere.

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Moroccan journalists face smears, threats after pardon

Moroccan journalist Omar Radi speaks during a press conference in Rabat on August 10, 2024 after his pardon from prison. (Photo: AFP)

When Moroccan authorities released three prominent journalists in July as part of a mass pardon marking King Mohamed VI’s 25 years on the throne, their friends and families celebrated. But the excitement was short-lived. Taoufik Bouachrine, Soulaiman Raissouni, and Omar Radi have been shamed in the media, stalked, and harassed since their release.

In a new feature, CPJ looks at the ongoing threats facing three icons of the fight for media freedom in Morocco. The three journalists have been effectively silenced in their journalism as they don’t yet know if they are legally allowed to return to work and they fear continued persecution.

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Journalists Attacked

Myat Thu Tan

MURDERED

Myat Thu Tan, a contributor to the local news website Western News and correspondent for several independent Myanmar news outlets, was shot and killed on January 31, 2024, while in military custody in Mrauk-U in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State.

He was arrested on September 22, 2022, and held in pre-trial detention under a broad provision of the penal code that criminalizes incitement and the dissemination of false news for critical posts he made on his Facebook page. Myat Thu Tan had not been tried or convicted at the time of his death.

The journalist’s body was found buried in a bomb shelter, with the bodies of six other political detainees, and showed signs of torture.

Myanmar’s military junta has cracked down on journalists and media outlets since seizing power in a February 2021 coup.

Learn more about Myat Thu Tan