Elections in Georgia: a new report by RSF and partner NGOs calls on the government to uphold its commitments to press freedom and the right to information
Georgia's drift away from democracy is now eroding one of its core pillars: press freedom. As the legislative elections on 26 October approach, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and nine partner organisations in the Council of Europe's Platform for the Safety of Journalists have published a report and recommendations to guarantee the safety of journalists and the right to reliable information.
In Georgia, the extreme polarisation of the media, increasingly repressive legislation, and verbal and physical violence prevent journalists from working in peace. State and non-state institutions are often instrumentalised to discredit civil society groups and media outlets critical of the government. This hostile environment — and the impunity enjoyed by those responsible for violence and intimidation — seriously threaten citizens' right to reliable information.
This deterioration of press freedom is highlighted in a new report, “Press Freedom and the Safety of Journalists in Peril, Rising Polarisation and a Climate of Fear”, co-written by RSF and the nine other partner non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Council of Europe's Platform for the Safety of Journalists. The report was prompted by the partners’ recent visit to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on 1 and 2 October 2024 to meet representatives of local media outlets, press freedom NGOs, political groups, the international community, the Communications Commission, and the Office of the Public Defender, and to make recommendations for improving the situation.
"Threats, harassment, insults, abusive legal proceedings, surveillance... We’re witnessing an increase in the intimidation of journalists, as described in this report. In the face of these shocking developments and pro-Russian disinformation campaigns, RSF is calling for a democratic overhaul. The political parties contesting the election — particularly the Georgian Dream party, which is currently in power — must guarantee that the country's commitments to journalists’ safety and the right to reliable information are respected.
With their fate hanging on the outcome of the legislative elections, the independent media outlets that met with RSF and its partners expressed very strong feelings of insecurity. The Transparency of Foreign Influence Law, copied from Russian legislation, particularly threatens the existence of both these outlets and civil society organisations. The law, which came into force in August, stigmatises all media outlets and NGOs that receive at least 20 percent of their funding from abroad by designating them as foreign agents. The law also imposes administrative burdens on these groups and can require them to disclose a wide range of personal data and the identity of journalists' sources. Almost every media outlet concerned by this law has refused to register with the Ministry of Justice, and risks receiving fines that will be hard for them to pay. RSF and its partners recommend repealing this law, which violates international standards and has frozen the process for Georgia's adhesion to the European Union.
