Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) says the ruling Georgian Dream party is using Parliament’s accreditation rules as a mechanism to penalize critical media outlets and journalists.
In a statement, the watchdog said that over the past two months, around 15 representatives of critical media have either had their parliamentary accreditation revoked or faced restrictions on their work inside the legislature after asking critical questions to MPs.
TI Georgia says Parliament’s accreditation procedure, introduced in 2023 and further tightened in 2026, has become “a tool for targeting independent media,” significantly limiting the public’s access to information about parliamentary activities.
The organization cited several recent cases, including the one-year suspension of TV Pirveli journalist Natalia Kajaia, the six-month suspension of Formula TV journalist Nini Balanchivadze, the one-month suspension of TV Pirveli journalist Maka Andronikashvili, and the six-month suspension of TV Pirveli journalist Maka Chikhladze. It also noted that the parliamentary accreditation of journalists from Publika and Monitori was revoked in May, while Publika journalist Mindia Gabadze was denied a one-time pass to cover Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s parliamentary address in June.
TI Georgia said Georgian Dream amended Parliament’s accreditation rules shortly after Speaker Shalva Papuashvili announced they would be reviewed following the European Parliament’s decision to suspend the accreditation of pro-government broadcaster Imedi.
Under the revised rules, repeated violations can result in a journalist’s accreditation being suspended for one year instead of six months. Parliament may also revoke the accreditation of an entire media outlet, rather than only the individual journalist, depending on the severity and frequency of alleged violations. A first violation now results in a one-month suspension.
The organization argued that the ruling party has increasingly used state institutions to silence independent media instead of ensuring public accountability.
“Public officials must remember that they are funded by taxpayers and are accountable to citizens, including by answering even the most difficult and critical questions,” TI Georgia said.
The watchdog also expressed solidarity with journalists working under what it described as an increasingly hostile environment, arguing that restrictions on parliamentary access are particularly significant because Georgian Dream officials often refuse to engage with critical media through other channels.
