A journalist from Netgazeti, Mariam Dzidzaria, is facing up to 15 days of administrative detention after being accused by Georgia’s Interior Ministry of blocking a road while covering a protest, despite clearly displaying press identification.
Dzidzaria and Tabula journalist Mariam Kuprava were both charged with “artificially blocking the road” while reporting from demonstrations on Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi. Both were performing their professional duties at the time.
Dzidzaria was covering the January 31 “Saturday March,” wearing visible press markings, including a badge and a “PRESS” armband, and carrying a camera. Kuprava was reporting from a similar protest on February 7.
Despite this, both journalists were issued administrative offense reports, and their cases will be reviewed in court.
Dzidzaria’s hearing is scheduled for March 27 at Tbilisi City Court, to be presided over by Judge Tornike Kapanadze.
The case gained additional attention after the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists issued an alert, calling for the immediate termination of proceedings against her.
Meanwhile, 43 professors from Caucasus University have appealed to the judge to drop the case against Dzidzaria.
The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics has also condemned the legal action, urging the Interior Ministry to stop prosecuting journalists covering protests.
Under Georgian law, the charge of road blocking carries a penalty of up to 15 days of administrative detention.
On March 6, Tbilisi City Court also reviewed the case of photographer Giorgi Tarkhnishvili, according to MediaChecker.
The Interior Ministry accuses Tarkhnishvili of obstructing pedestrians by standing on a sidewalk while performing his professional duties on December 18, 2025.
His lawyer, Giorgi Tabatadze, told MediaChecker that the defense presented evidence confirming Tarkhnishvili’s status as a journalist. “He had a hat marked ‘PRESS’ and was holding a large camera. This clearly shows he was carrying out his professional duties. Even the video submitted by the Interior Ministry shows him taking photos or video,” the lawyer said.
The judge postponed the announcement of the ruling in Tarkhnishvili’s case.
Mariam Dzidzaria is not the first Batumelebi&Netgazeti journalist to face such threats. In 2025, the company’s co-founder and media manager, Mzia Amaglobeli, was first detained administratively (for placing a poster on a building) and then criminally (for allegedly slapping a police officer, Dgebuadze) and remains in unlawful detention. She was found liable in two administrative offense cases and convicted in a criminal case, receiving a two-year prison sentence on politically motivated charges.
On the same day of Amaglobeli’s arrest, under Dgebuadze’s orders, another Netgazeti journalist, Guram Murvanidze, was administratively detained while covering a protest and performing his professional duties. Despite this, Guram was sentenced to eight days in detention.
As for Mariam’s current case, it is being heard by Judge Tornike Kapanadze, who is known for frequently fining and sending to administrative detention protesters who walk on the roadway or stand on sidewalks during demonstrations.
Mariam Dzidzaria was notified of her court hearing only after it became known that the Council of Europe’s “Journalists’ Safety Platform” had raised an alert regarding her case and demanded its immediate termination.
