New York, December 4, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to hold police officers accountable and ensure journalists’ safety following multiple reports of least 50 journalists injured during violent police dispersals of pro-European Union demonstrations between November 28 and December 3.
“The protection of journalists is a hallmark of democratic societies. Georgian authorities’ failure to address the extensive and shocking police violence against journalists covering ongoing mass protests signals a clear departure from democratic values,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Georgian authorities must hold police officers to account for brutalizing members of the press and publicly commit to uphold journalist safety during the protests.”
Since November 28, CPJ has documented the following incidents of police violence and detentions of journalists:
- Guram Rogava, a reporter with pro-opposition broadcaster Formula TV, was repeatedly punched in the head and knocked to the curb by a riot police officer on November 28. The journalist face and neck bones were fractured in the attack and he was hospitalized.
- Three or four riot police also beat Aleksandre Keshelashvili, a reporter with independent news website Publika, for several minutes. They repeatedly struck him in the head, kicked him when he fell, and took his two cameras, the journalist told CPJ. Police detained Keshelashvili at the Tbilisi police station around three hours before allowing him to go to hospital, where he underwent an operation for a broken nose.
- Davit Tsagareli, a reporter with the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Georgian service, was reporting live when an officer punched him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground.
- Nanuka Kajaia, a reporter with pro-opposition broadcaster TV Pirveli, was conducting a live interview a short distance from the protests when police appeared to target her camera crew with a water cannon.
- Police reportedly pushed George Tchumburidze, a camera operator with the RFE/RL-affiliated Current Time TV, from a ledge as he was filming them detain protesters.
- Police officers grabbed Giorgi Shetsiruli, a camera operator with TV Pirveli and one of them elbowed him forcefully in the neck, knocking him to the ground, according to the journalist, who spoke with CPJ.
- An officer grabbed Publika journalist Natia Amiranashvili’s cell phone while she was filming police arrest protesters and stomped on it.
- Around 10 officers struck, kicked, and pushed Aka Zarkua, a journalist with the RealPolitika news site, on November 29, according to video footage of the incident and a Facebook post by the journalist.
- A riot police officer threw Publika journalist Ana Mskhaladze’s cell phone to the ground, punched her in the head and fled with her phone.
- Giorgi Gamgebeli, a freelance photographer, told CPJ that riot police repeatedly beat, dragged, and kicked him over the course of several minutes and took his camera. Gamgebeli sustained a severely sprained leg and a split lip in the attack.
- Officers chased and struck Formula TV reporter Nutsa Bakhutashvili on the back on November 30.
- Police arrested Giorgi Chagelishvili, a reporter for the independent news outlet Mautskebeli, while he was reporting on protests on December 1. Police detained Chagelishvili for around 48 hours and a court fined him 2000 lari ($700) on December 3 for allegedly disobeying police, which he denies, Mautskebeli co-founder Giorgi Arobelidze told CPJ.
- An officer shoved Amiranashvili forcefully against a wall as she was running to film police chase protesters, according to footage of the incident shared by the journalist with CPJ.
- Nino Ramishvili, a journalist for independent investigative outlet Studio Monitor, was filming police beat a protester on December 2 when officers demanded that she delete her footage and then confiscated her phone.
Additionally, Mariam Gaprindashvili, a reporter for TV Pirveli, was struck on the head by an unknown object on November 29, sustaining a cut to her forehead. Gaprindashvili told CPJ she was hospitalized for over 24 hours, received six stitches and was diagnosed with a concussion.
Georgia has seen protracted mass protests since the ruling Georgian Dream party declared a victory in the October 26 elections, which opposition parties deny. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s November 28 announcement that Georgia was suspending EU accession talks sparked even more demonstrations and a police crackdown, with local press freedom groups alleging “systematic, planned and intentional” police aggression against journalists.
Georgia’s Special Investigation Service, a government body responsible for investigating alleged crimes by law enforcement officers and crimes against journalists, stated on November 30 that it was investigating reports of police violence against protesters and members of the media.
CPJ emailed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and sent a message via Facebook to the Special Investigation Service for comment but did not receive any replies.