Tbilisi, Georgia — Freelance journalists in the former Soviet republic of Georgia are facing an escalating crackdown as protests mount over the government’s decision to suspend the country’s bid for European Union membership. Georgia—once a symbol of democratic hope following the 2003 Rose Revolution—was the first Caucasus state to break with Moscow. But two decades later, the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party has become a nightmare for independent journalism.
At a meeting in the capital, Tbilisi, journalists told the Rory Peck Trust and the Committee to Protect Journalists how new “foreign agent” laws are being used to target critical voices. The legislation forces any organisation receiving more than 20% of its funding from foreign sources to register as acting “in the interests of a foreign power.” At least 17 journalists in the capital have already been fined €1,500 each—twice the average monthly salary in Georgia—for “blocking roads” while reporting protests.
The meeting, held as part of Tbilisi’s annual ZEG Storytelling Festival, was attended by Jon Williams, Executive Director of the Rory Peck Trust, and Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Last month, Reporters Without Borders ranked Georgia 114th out of 180 countries in its annual Press Freedom Index—down from 77th just two years ago.
“Despite everything, Tbilisi’s freelance press corps continues to tell the stories that matter—even as they rack up fines for the crime of eyewitness reporting,” said Williams. “‘ZEG’ means ‘the day after tomorrow’ in Georgian. Thanks to the courage of Georgia’s journalists—and with the backing of the Rory Peck Trust and CPJ—we have to believe in a brighter ZEG.”
The deterioration in media freedom comes amid growing fears that Georgia could follow the trajectory of neighbouring Azerbaijan, where the government recently forced the closure of BBC News Azerbaijan and revoked the accreditation of a Voice of America correspondent. Azerbaijan now ranks 164th in the global index.