GEORGIA: Online Media Blackout & more – 14th Aug 2025

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 14th of August twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Wednesday, the 13th, websites of twenty-two independent media outlets went offline for several hours. Their readers presumed it was an organized attack against online media, but it turned out to be a symbolic gesture by the journalists themselves. Organizers wanted to show what happens when independent voices disappear and the public loses access to unbiased information. The symbolic blackout launched the campaign The Light Must Not Go Out.

The media groups created a single online platform where supporters can donate to all twenty-two outlets through one account. The campaign aims to show their unity, the threat they face from a repressive environment, and the public’s role in keeping them alive. The donations will go toward sustaining Georgia’s independent online press.

Link in the show notes.

Georgia’s Competition Agency fined four pharmaceutical companies 560,000 lari (over 200,000 Dollars) after the Health Ministry reported they were hiking medicine prices by 1,000% to 3,000% over import costs.

The agency’s investigation showed these companies weren’t just charging high prices, they also included personal and unrelated expenses in the cost of medicines, which means they added things like luxury gifts, gold jewelry, tickets to cultural events, fancy conferences, cosmetic and dental treatments, and even maintenance of expensive cars to justify the huge price jumps. Customers ended up paying for the companies’ lavish spending instead of just the actual medicine.

Officials told the companies to change their pricing approach.

In an update to a story from our previous show… Last week, we mentioned that Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of media outlets Batumelebi/Netgazeti, was sentenced to two years on charges of resisting a police officer. She was initially charged with assaulting one, which carried penalties of up to six years of imprisonment.

On Thursday, the 7th, Edite Estrela and Sabina Cudic, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly co-rapporteurs for Georgia, condemned the court decision, saying it was politically motivated and served to silence independent media. They called for Mzia’s immediate release and reminded Georgia’s ruling party that freedom of expression and assembly are part of Georgia’s membership commitment.

In more updates, last week, we reported that Russia declared an international search for Aleko Elisashvili, an opposition leader and member of the Coalition Strong Georgia, or Lelo Dzlieri, for fighting on Ukraine’s side two years ago. Eliashvili is currently in Georgia and is one of the candidates the opposition considers for the Tbilisi Mayoral election, which is part of the municipal election set for the 4th of October.

On Friday, the 8th, a journalist asked PM Irakli Kobakhidze whether Eliashvili was in any danger from Russian authorities. Kobakhidze said that the ruling party has a responsibility to defend every citizen, despite what they might think about him.

Speaking of the Tbilisi Mayoral election, on Monday, the 11th, the far-right party Conservatives for Georgia, known for organizing violent protests against an LGBTQ+ group that led to a journalist’s death, nominated Zura Makharadze, their leader and most well-known face, as a candidate for Tbilisi Mayor.

The party openly backs closer ties with Russia and takes a strong anti-Western stance. They say their electoral campaign will focus on real issues like mass migration and Georgia’s worsening demographic crisis caused by low birthrate and shrinking population, instead of political fights between major parties. They plan to push laws providing large families with land and create programs to boost population growth.

In related news, on Saturday, the 9th, the Central Election Commission announced that the United National Movement or the Natsebi and the Coalition for Change or Tsvlilebebistvis lost their electoral numbers. Gogi Kalandarishvili, chair of the commission, said both parties asked to keep their numbers but did not apply to take part in the elections. Because of that, their numbers became available for other parties and were granted to two virtually unknown parties who plan to participate in municipal elections. Electoral numbers are a big deal in Georgia, especially for the Natsebi, which has been associated with the number five for more than two decades.

Next up, Thursday, 7th, was the anniversary of the Russian-Georgia war, which killed hundreds, displaced 150,000 people and led to the occupation of Georgian territories Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Russia recognizing them as independent states.

Talking about the war, during the anniversary, PM Kobakhidze said that the blame lay on former president Misha Saakashvili, who is currently in prison.. Parroting Russian narratives, Kobakhidze said that Georgia was the one that triggered the escalation of the conflict. While he spoke about the bravery of Georgian soldiers who lost their lives during the brief conflict, he said that the war was a disastrous, Deep State-backed betrayal of the Georgian people carried out by Saakashvili’s regime.

Since we mentioned Russia, the Gorchakov Foundation is inviting Georgian citizens to join free internship programs in the country. On Tuesday, the 12th, the Russian Interests Section from the Swiss Embassy in Georgia announced the opportunities on Facebook in both Georgian and Russian.

Internships cover medicine, nuclear technology, and international relations, offering young professionals practical experience and a chance to build professional networks free of charge.

Though it operates as an NGO, Ukrainian researchers say the foundation remains tightly controlled by the Russian government, with half its budget coming from federal funds and the rest from private donors, likely Russian oligarchs.

The foundation acts as a soft power tool promoting pro-Russian narratives and influencing international relations, politicians, and analysts.

On Wednesday, the 13th, the U.S. State Department released its twenty twenty-four Human Rights Report on Georgia. It lists as major negative events the adoption of the foreign agent’s law, which restricts free speech, and the law for the protection of family values and minors, which restricts the freedom of expression of the LGBTQ community and censors related topics. The report also mentions campaigns of intimidation, coercion, and misuse of state resources during last year’s parliamentary elections.

The report documents police and unidentified attackers assaulting journalists at April–May and November–December protests, using pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons, causing broken spines, facial fractures, and chemical burns. Over thirty attacks occurred on election day alone, without any follow-up investigation by authorities.

On Thursday, the 7th, Grigol Gegelia, one of the leaders of Dzlieri - Lelo, had an altercation with several pro-European demonstrators. The incident happened in front of parliament, where protests have been held over 250 consecutive days, when people were celebrating the release of Giorgi Akhobadze, one of the political prisoners.

Many protestors see the decision of Lelo-Dzlieri to participate in the municipal election as betrayal and complacency with the Georgian Dream or the Kotsebi. This showed when several masked protesters started acting aggressively toward Gegelia, insulting him, telling him mockingly that he should leave and prepare for the elections. Other protesters tried to de-escalate the situation and help Gegelia leave the scene.

Gegelia later said that the incident was not serious and everyone should focus on the true enemy of the people, the Kotsebi.

Video of the incident in the show notes.

In other news, a conflict in Gori, a city west of Tbilisi, escalated to the point where special forces had to intervene. On Saturday, the 9th, a man shot and wounded young men, then barricaded himself inside an apartment building. Police attempted to enter but retreated when the suspect opened fire. Special forces were called in and eventually arrested him.

Authorities say the conflict began the day before, when the suspect physically assaulted a local resident. Later, both sides, now joined by reinforcements, met again to settle the dispute. The confrontation quickly turned into a brawl, during which the shooter opened fire, injuring two people. Police later arrested six individuals from both sides.

In economics, on Saturday, the 9th, S&P Global Ratings, one of the world’s top credit rating agencies, kept Georgia’s sovereign credit rating at BB with a stable outlook, which means the country’s economy is steady. They highlighted Georgia’s low government debt, rising foreign currency reserves helped by tourism and incoming remittances, and a strong, well-funded banking system. The central bank also got credit for reducing dollarization. Overall, S&P sees Georgia on a steady path, with room to grow and a good buffer against surprises.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

In the next ten days or so we will release something cool, different from the normal update that everybody will want to hear, Georgian speakers and otherwise, particularly those who habitually use naughty words.

Nakhvamdis!