Event description
Over the past year, the human rights situation in Georgia has sharply deteriorated, reaching a crisis point following Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on 28 November 2024 to suspend EU accession talks.
Mass protests erupted, met with systematic police brutality (including systemic torture and ill-treatment), arbitrary detentions, and politically motivated prosecutions.
A key target of state repression has been the media. Since the protests began, around 100 incidents of violence, equipment destruction, and obstruction of journalists’ work have been reported—overwhelmingly affecting independent and critical media. Georgian Dream officials have incited hostility against journalists, while thugs (Titushkies) affiliated with GD authorities have carried out attacks with impunity. Despite mounting evidence, no meaningful investigations have been conducted.
In response to these human rights violations, 38 OSCE participating States activated the Vienna Mechanism for Georgia. However, domestic authorities continue to ignore calls for accountability, leaving media freedom under siege.
