Georgia moves to tighten restrictive media funding laws, add lengthy jail terms
New York, February 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgia’s parliament to reject proposed amendments to media and civil society funding laws that would further restrict the country’s shrinking space for independent reporting. The proposals, which follow last year’s passage of a punitive “foreign agent” law and legislation requiring government approval for foreign grants, widen the definition of a “grant” to…
Report: Georgia violated journalist Mzia Amaglobeli’s right to a fair trial
New York, January 16, 2026—A report released Friday by TrialWatch found that Georgian authorities violated the fair trial rights of jailed journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli, citing a series of violations that indicate that Georgian authorities sought to make an example of a leading journalist amid a wider press freedom and rights crackdown in Georgia. The Committee to…
A year after Mzia Amaglobeli’s arrest, press freedom groups demand her release
January 12, 2026—On the first anniversary of the arrest of prominent Georgian journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are urging Georgian authorities to immediately release her and credibly investigate alleged violations of her rights. The first woman journalist…
Georgia upholds Mzia Amaglobeli’s 2-year prison sentence
New York, November 18, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to release journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, a prominent media manager, after a Georgian appeals court upheld a decision on November 18 that sentenced her to two years in prison. The journalist, who has been widely recognized domestically and internationally as a political prisoner, reportedly plans to challenge…
Georgian authorities probe press organizations under foreign funding laws
New York, October 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to repeal restrictive new laws covering foreign donor grants as Georgian authorities open investigations into the funding of at least five independent news outlets and a leading press association. Earlier this year, the Georgian Dream party overhauled legislation governing the foreign donor funding on which many independent…
In Georgia, 6 journalists attacked, robbed while covering protests
New York, September 10, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to swiftly investigate attacks on at least six journalists reporting on anti-government protests in the capital, Tbilisi, over the last week. Since November, dozens of journalists have been attacked, sometimes brutally, by police and masked attackers while reporting on mass protests against…
‘Outrageous’: Georgia sentences Mzia Amaglobeli to 2 years for slap
New York, August 6, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is horrified by the two-year sentence given to prominent Georgian media manager Mzia Amaglobeli on Wednesday, in a case previously denounced by CPJ and partners as “disproportionate and politicized.” “The outrageous two-year sentence meted out to widely respected journalist Mzia Amaglobeli is emblematic of Georgia’s increasing use…
CPJ submission to UN shows significant media repression in Georgia
New York, July 31, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists and the Media Advocacy Coalition of Georgia have submitted a report on the state of press freedom and journalist safety in Georgia to the United Nations Human Rights Council ahead of January’s 51st Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session. The submission details a sharp decline in media…
CPJ, partners call on Georgia to free Mzia Amaglobeli ahead of verdict
New York, July 31, 2025—Ahead of Friday’s expected verdict in the trial of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 13 other media and human rights groups called on Georgian authorities to drop the charge against her and release her. Amaglobeli, founder and director of award-winning independent news outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, has…
Georgia seizes 2 media outlets’ accounts amid trial of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli
New York, July 22, 2025—Georgian authorities seized the financial accounts of independent news outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti over tax arrears, days ahead of an expected verdict in the trial of the outlets’ director, Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been jailed since January on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. “The unwarranted seizure of Batumelebi and Netgazeti’s…