Georgian journalist jailed for 14 days over Facebook post

A court in Tbilisi has sentenced prominent news presenter Vakho Sanaia to 14 days in prison for making sarcastic posts about government officials on social media.

Sanaia, who hosts a programme on the opposition-leaning TV Formula channel, was taken into custody at his home on Wednesday shortly after Judge Zviad Tsekvava delivered the ruling.

Family, friends and journalists gathered outside his house to show support as police led him away in handcuffs.

The prosecution relates to comments Sanaia published on Facebook regarding Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Lado Bozhadze, head of the European Socialists parliamentary group, which is affiliated with the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Sanaia was initially fined 6,000 Georgian lari ($2,300) on 10 July over an earlier post in which he sarcastically advised followers not to use offensive language towards the two politicians.

Following the fine, Sanaia published a second post stating he would never forgive the authorities for the decision.

Interior Ministry representative Mariam Kereselidze told the court that Sanaia's second post showed "a disregard for the court's decision and an indication of a willingness to continue engaging in unlawful conduct".

Sanaia and his defense team boycotted Wednesday's hearing.

Speaking to TV Formula following the sentence, Sanaia described the proceedings as "absurd".

"There is no circumstance under which I would restrict my freedom of speech," he said. "If freedom of expression is destroyed in this country, it means that everyone will have to put a lock on their mouth — and that cannot happen."

Proactive censorship unit

The complaint against the presenter was filed by a specialized Interior Ministry department formed in June to combat hate speech online.

The unit operates proactively, monitoring social media platforms and bringing cases to court without requiring an official complaint from the targeted individual.

According to official figures, the department identified 170 suspected offences and referred 150 cases to the courts in its first month of operation.

The legal framework penalising insults against public officials was enacted in 2025 by Georgian Dream and its allies. Sanaia was previously fined under the law last year after describing a ruling party MP as a "slave" online.

The ruling has drawn sharp condemnation from media watchdogs, political opposition figures and international observers.

The Georgian Media Advocacy Coalition said the sentence demonstrated that "independent media and freedom of expression are under direct attack" in the country.

Former President Salome Zourabichvili characterised the detention as "pure authoritarian paranoia", while the main opposition United National Movement party accused the government of taking steps towards dictatorship.

Michael Gahler, a member of the European Parliament representing the European People's Party, warned that Georgia was moving towards "the authoritarian part of Europe".

The Georgian government maintains that the legislation and the monitoring department are necessary tools to maintain public decorum and combat online abuse.