Georgian civil society organizations consider the imprisonment of Formula TV host and journalist Vakho Sanaia alarming, as it represents yet another step taken against freedom of expression. We believe that this court decision constitutes another attempt to suppress independent media and critical voices - a practice characteristic of authoritarian regimes of the Russian and Belarusian models, where dissenting and critical opinions are viewed as the main enemy and target by authoritarian leaders. It is evident that the Georgian Dream government is meticulously copying and implementing the worst practices of Russia, attempting to normalize a reality in which people are punished for expressing their personal opinions and views.

On 22 July, sanctioned judge Zviad Tsekvava sentenced [1] Vakho Sanaia to 14 days of administrative detention over a social media post. This is the first case in which a citizen has been placed under administrative detention based on a post published on social media. Prior to this, Sanaia was fined [2] GEL 6,000 for the same reason.

It is evident that independent media and every critical voice represent a significant obstacle for the Georgian Dream government, as they expose alleged corruption and other possible criminal links involving government officials and individuals affiliated with the ruling party, while informing the public about systemic problems within state institutions. Instead of investigating actual crimes and ensuring that responsible individuals are held accountable, the Georgian Dream government is engaged in persecuting whistleblowers and using repressive laws adopted by itself to silence them. In this context, independent and critical media remain a particular target of the authorities, against which the entire state repressive apparatus is mobilized.

For years, law enforcement agencies, the judicial system, the Communications Commission, and the Parliament have been turned into instruments used by the Georgian Dream government to fight against independent media and journalists and to silence them. Through coordinated attacks and the use of repressive mechanisms, the Georgian Dream government is attempting to ultimately neutralize critical media and remove it from the public sphere.

Article 173¹⁶ of the Code of Administrative Offences [3], under which Vakho Sanaia was sentenced to administrative detention, was added to the Code by the Georgian Dream-controlled Parliament in February 2025 by expedited procedure and it was negatively assessed by OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission.. A special unit was established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs to enforce this provision, which has been ironically referred to by the public as the “scrolling-and-screenshotting department.”

We express our solidarity with Vakho Sanaia critical media outlets and all journalists who have become targets of the Georgian Dream government’s repressive policies in recent years. Independent media is providing an invaluable service to the country at this critically important moment, ensuring that the public remains properly informed despite operating under severely limited resources.

Transparency International Georgia

Civic Movement for Freedom

Economic Policy Research Center

Civil Society Foundation

Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI)

Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

Democracy Research Institute (DRI)

Partnership for Human Rights (PHR)

Human Rights Center (HRC)

Tolerance and Diversity Institute

Georgian Democracy Initiative

Green Alternative

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association

Georgia's European Orbit

Social Justice Centre

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)

Prevention For Progress

Georgia’s Future Academy