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Incident type: Detention/arrest

Arrest

On December 1-2, During the coverage of the protests 11 members of the media were detained, injured, or obstructed in their professional work

  • On December 2, during a raid at the Rustaveli metro station, the riot police detained Giorgi Chagelishvili, a journalist from the online media platform Mautskebeli. In a video posted on social media, Chagelishvili is seen informing the riot police that he is a journalist; nonetheless, he was detained.
  • On December 2, at the Rustaveli metro station, while filming the detention of protesters, a journalist from the online media platform Publika was pushed by the riot police, causing them to drop the phone that was used to record the incident.
  • On December 2, the editor of OC MEDIA, Mariam Nikuradze, was slammed into a wall by the riot police damaging her camera. 
  • On December 2, a journalist from the pro-government TV station Rustavi 2, Tamta Chitishvili, was injured in the leg near the Parliament building. According to information released by the TV station, the journalist underwent surgical intervention.
  • On December 2, pro-government TV station Rustavi 2 cameraman Giorgi Nergadze was injured near the Parliament building. Emergency medical personnel provided first aid.
  • On December 2, TV Pirveli cameraman Niko Kokaia was injured during the protest. According to him, he was likely sprayed with pepper spray. Emergency medical personnel provided assistance at the scene. Additionally, according to the NGO Media Ombudsman, journalist Mariam Makasarashvili was also injured along with Kokaia.
  • On December 2, while filming the detention of citizens who had entered a business center on Besiki Street, a TV Pirveli cameraman was threatened by members of the riot police, who told him not to record any footage.
  • On December 2, according to the online media outlet April, their journalist Giorgi Baskhajauri was attacked by the riot police while carrying out his professional duties. Baskhajauri was filming the detention of protestors when the officer attempted to seize his phone and chased after him.
  • On December 2, photographer Mirian Meladze was injured. He posted a photo of his injured leg on his personal Facebook page and wrote that the incident occurred three days before.
  • On December 2, Media worker at a propagandist pro-government Post TV Guranda Bilikhodze was injured by a tear gas canister, according to independent media outlet Publika.ge.