TBILISI -- Journalists covering large anti-government protests in Georgia say they have been deliberately targeted by security forces, with many reporting that they were beaten and required hospitalization.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in downtown Tbilisi for two consecutive nights after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of Georgia's EU integration process until 2028. Georgian police have used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
Guram Rogava, a journalist for the local Formula TV station, reportedly suffered a broken collar bone and facial bones after being beaten by police at the November 28-29 protests.
Multiple employees of TV Pirveli -- which like Formula, has aired programs critical of the government -- were also attacked. Nodar Meladze, head of news at TV Pirveli, said that Georgian security forces deliberately prevented journalists from working and attempted to shut down broadcasts.
"I have been the head of news for many years, and this is the first protest where operators and journalists were treated with such cruelty," Meladze said. "'I know you are a journalist,'" he said a member of the security forces told him before they attacked him.
Since Georgian Dream won 54 percent of the vote in October 26 parliamentary elections, the country has been in disarray, with the opposition and Western governments claiming the vote was tainted by widespread violations. Security forces violently dispersed protests against the result of the vote.
In these latest protests, TV Pirveli journalist Anna Madivan said she experienced an allergic reaction to the water used in the water cannon. Other journalists experienced negative reactions to the water spray and said they suspected it was laced with allergens or other chemicals.
'A Deliberate Attack'
Two other journalists from TV Pirveli, Davit Bichikashvili and Nanuka Kajaya, said they were attacked while conducting interviews, with Kajaya requiring medical attention after being hit with blasts from a water cannon.
Davit Tsagareli, a journalist for RFE/RL's Georgian Service, was attacked while he was broadcasting live near the Rustaveli subway station in downtown Tbilisi.
"I was walking on the sidewalk. I was live. At that moment, a special forces officer came out of a pharmacy and suddenly punched me in the stomach," Tsagareli said. After collapsing and struggling to breathe, Tsagareli said that another special forces officer approached him.
"I was wearing an RFE/RL jacket, wearing a press badge, and it looked like I was a journalist. This was a deliberate attack," he said.
Current Time cameraman George Tchumburidze was pushed off a ledge near the parliament building when covering the protests, an incident caught on camera.
Multiple journalists recounted similar stories to RFE/RL's Georgian Service, accusing the authorities of beating them specifically because of their work. Many of them were hospitalized.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, a fervent critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, condemned the "brutal and disproportionate attacks on the Georgian people and media," comparing the crackdown to "Russian-style repression."
Media Ombudsman, a local NGO, has called on Georgia's Special Investigation Service, a body tasked with probing the security forces and public officials, to launch an immediate investigation into the incidents, requesting they be classified under Article 154 (interference in journalistic activity) and Article 156 (prosecution) of the country's Criminal Code. The NGO has also demanded separate investigations into cases involving journalists.
Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze, speaking at a briefing on November 29, stated that any violation of law, particularly against journalists, should be investigated.
Deteriorating Relationship With Brussels
Journalists covering protests have been targeted before in Georgia, leading international human rights organizations and media-advocacy NGOs to express concern about press freedom and the safety of media workers.
In 2021, 53 journalists suffered injuries, including concussions, chemical burns, and broken limbs, after far-right protesters attacked a planned Pride march.
While covering those events, Lekso Lashkarava, a cameraman for TV Pirveli, was brutally beaten suffering severe injuries. Several days later, Lashkarava was found dead in his home, leading to protests and outrage that police had not done enough to stop the violence.
While Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, its relationship with Brussels has deteriorated in recent months. Brussels has distanced itself from the government after the passing of controversial laws curbing LGBT rights and clamping down on NGOs and media organizations that receive a significant amount of their funding from abroad.
