In March 2026, the Georgian government adopted a new law criminalising any form of foreign assistance not registered with the authorities – including financial and other forms of support. To better understand the rapid decline of Georgia’s media environment, RSF interviewed Irma Dimitradze, who has worked for nearly a decade with Batumelebi and Netgazeti.

As both a journalist and Amaghlobeli’s representative, Dimitradze offers a first-hand perspective on the pressures facing the country’s independent media, from legal harassment and financial strangulation to physical threats and disinformation campaigns. Her testimony sheds light on how this emblematic case reflects a broader effort to silence critical voices and reshape the national information space.

RSF : Irma, you have been affiliated with Batumelebi and Netgazeti for nearly ten years, so you know Georgia's media landscape very well. In 2022, Georgia was ranked 77th out of 180 countries and territories in the RSF Press Freedom Index. By 2025, its position had dropped almost 40 places, to 114th. In your own personal experience, what has changed most dramatically over the past few years?

Irma Dimitradze: From my point of view, the fall is even more dramatic than the rankings show. The first signs came in 2023, when the government first presented their initiative of adopting what we call the “Russian law”, the foreign agent law inspired by Russian legislation. That was an obvious signal that media independence was under attack.

Still, there are many independent online media outlets and strong regional media outlets working in the public interest. When the ruling power shifted away from democratic principles toward authoritarianism, press freedom became something they had to destroy on the way.

You work for Batumelebi and Netgazeti, which were founded by Mzia Amaghlobeli. Why are these outlets important in Georgia?

Propaganda aims to confuse people so they don't trust anyone. Small independent media outlets are a particular problem, because they are trusted. Those media outlets write about the everyday problems of a regular teacher, cleaning staff, or bus drivers who have no break times and low salaries. People know you — you are not someone far away on TV.

During my time at the publication, we wrote stories about people who might not have survived without the support that came after our reporting. These outlets are very rooted in the community. And that's why they attacked us — because we are trusted and stand between the public and authoritarianism.

Mzia’s arrest has drawn international attention. What does her case represent for journalists in Georgia?

Mzia's arrest was the cherry on top — the culmination of increasing pressure on the media. Mzia had very high support from ordinary people because she is a person just like them, a person who has been quietly working all her life and supporting people.

When people know you and support you, but the regime still dares to go after you, that means the stakes are very high. They really want to make it clear that they can go after anyone and everyone. They hope that this will drive every journalist out of the profession, scare them, that people will go into exile.

What other kinds of pressure are journalists facing today?

The ruling authorities attacked with laws which were designed to suffocate independent journalism financially. Then came physical attacks on journalists intended to intimidate them. There are smear campaigns, trolls and bots on social media calling journalists traitors or agents and spreading smear campaigns about their personal lives.

All of this is meant to create a chilling effect and push journalists out of the profession. Newcomers are supposed to be intimidated — nobody wants that kind of job.

How is Mzia's current situation? What worries you most about her case at the moment?

It’s important to remember that Mzia was not only unlawfully imprisoned – she was also subjected to inhuman treatment. After her arrest, she was on a hunger strike for 38 days, which had serious consequences for her health. During detention she lost most of her eyesight. In one eye she now has about ten percent vision, and in the other she can only perceive light. This damage is irreversible. Doctors are now trying to stabilise her condition.

Despite everything, the most shocking thing for me is that she is not depressed. When she calls from prison, she tries to encourage us. She calls once a week, she usually speaks with our editor-in-chief and co-founder Eter Teradze, and sometimes I am there and we talk together. Apparently she can call more often but she created a strict schedule to follow to make prison easier.

What worries me most is that she remains in prison. Technically, when someone serves half of a short sentence, the prison administration can send a recommendation for early release. Mzia is alone in the prison cell. She doesn't go on walks because she fears somebody might try to use them to start a fight and provoke more punishment. So normally there would have been no reason to refuse her early release. But they did refuse. The prison cell can never provide good conditions for someone struggling with health issues. The best scenario for saving whatever is left of her health is for her to be free and receive treatment in specialised clinics abroad. Every day in prison reduces those chances.

Despite the difficult situation, what gives you hope for the future of journalism in Georgia?

For many years we have tried to collaborate with other media outlets and it was really difficult. But overnight, when Mzia was arrested, we all got on the same page. Many journalists who were considering leaving the country or the profession are now staying because of Mzia, because of the resistance and resilience that she showed. You feel a sort of responsibility when your colleague is fighting this fight, when your colleague is sacrificing her freedom and her health for this fight. So something that was designed to dismantle the media community has actually united something that was never united before.

The situation remains hostile. I don't know how we will survive, I don't know how long I'm going to be free. I decided that I'm just gonna continue my life normally, I don't want to live in fear. Because the more space we give up, the more they occupy. Now they are introducing this law which is designed to close all the loopholes, all possible breathing space for the country. Yet Georgia still has incredibly brave journalists who continue to speak openly, even at great personal risk.

Interview by Alena Struzh, Press Officer at RSF German section

Georgia’s media landscape is becoming increasingly fragile amid political pressure, restrictive legislation and funding difficulties. More than 600 press freedom violations targeting journalists and media outlets were recorded in the country between October 2024 and November 2025. Georgia has fallen 37 places in just two years in the RSF World Press Freedom Index, ranking 114th out of 180 countries and territories.