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Independent journalism under siege in Georgia

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 23/10/2026, 02:31:24 UTC.

Briefings

Independent Georgian media outlets face severe survival threats due to restrictive laws and political crackdowns. In April 2025, the law on foreign grants was amended, causing iFact to lose 90% of its income since May 2025. CEO Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested in January 2025 and sentenced to two years in prison, where she remains detained under deplorable conditions. Despite these challenges, journalists at Batumelebi and Netgazeti have persisted in professional reporting rather than self-censoring. The article notes that Georgia has dropped to 135th place in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, reflecting a broader democratic backsliding process.

Key points

• iFact lost 90% of its income since May 2025 due to the 2025 Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and amendments to the law on grants restricting foreign funding.
• CEO Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested in January 2025, sentenced to two years in prison, and remains detained under deplorable conditions with near-total loss of eyesight.

Context

Georgia's independent media faces a hostile environment under the Georgian Dream government, which has intensified crackdowns including imprisonments, legal challenges, and physical attacks. The country has been an EU candidate since 2023 but has pivoted toward Russia, while citizens have protested for over 500 consecutive days since November 2024. This situation is part of a broader democratic backsliding process involving restricted peaceful protests, jailed opposition politicians, and a disputed October 2024 election.

Limitations

Evidence is limited to a single article excerpt from iMEdD, published on Global Voices with a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. The report relies on interviews with four media representatives and does not include data from other independent outlets. Uncertainty exists regarding the full extent of financial losses and the specific impact of the 'Russian law' on other media organizations.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 23/10/2026, 02:42:26 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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