Georgian journalist sentenced to 30 days’ detention over social media posts, prompting PEN Georgia condemnation

A court in Tbilisi ordered the detention of Formula TV journalist and anchor Vakho Sanaia after Georgia’s Interior Ministry accused him of insulting two ruling-party politicians in online posts. PEN Georgia has called for the ruling to be overturned, warning that it reflects growing restrictions on freedom of expression in the country.

Tbilisi City Court Judge Tornike Kochkiani issued the ruling following a complaint from the Interior Ministry concerning social media posts about Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Georgian Dream lawmaker Vladimer Bozhadze. Sanaia did not attend the hearing. 

In an official statement, PEN Georgia condemned the sentence, expressing concern about increasing pressure on journalists and government critics.

“This decision raises serious concerns about the continued erosion of democratic institutions in Georgia and the growing pressure on freedom of expression,” the organization said.

PEN Georgia argued that Sanaia’s detention could not be considered an isolated case, but instead reflected broader restrictions on dissent and criticism of the authorities. The organization expressed solidarity with the journalist and called for the immediate reversal of the detention order.

The latest proceedings concerned several Facebook posts and a video criticizing Papuashvili and Bozhadze.

In one post, published shortly before an earlier detention in July, Sanaia jokingly urged readers not to use an offensive term to describe the politicians while he was in custody. Following his release, he questioned whether the politicians themselves would face punishment for repeating the same expression.

The court also considered a September video in which Sanaia used wordplay directed at Papuashvili and included a scene from the Georgian television series “My Wife’s Friends” featuring a profane remark.

The latest ruling marked Sanaia’s second administrative detention over social media posts in 2026. On July 22, he was sentenced to 14 days in detention following another Facebook post concerning the same politicians. Earlier, on July 10, he was fined in a separate case brought by the Interior Ministry’s Division for Combating Hate Speech.

Interior Ministry representative Mariam Kereselidze said authorities had requested the 30-day sentence because Sanaia had repeated conduct for which he had already been penalized. She argued that his posts exceeded the limits of protected expression and that public officials were not obliged to tolerate such insults.

Papuashvili, meanwhile, said he had not personally followed the case, explaining that the Interior Ministry’s relevant division handled such complaints independently.

Sanaia’s detention follows other cases involving Georgian journalists, writers, and cultural figures that have prompted criticism from freedom of expression organizations.

As reported earlier, PEN Georgia condemned the refusal by penitentiary authorities to deliver Georgian writer Lasha Bugadze’s dystopian novel “The Observer” (“დამკვირვებელი”) to imprisoned activist Nana Sander in August 2026. Prison officials initially described the book as political, while the penitentiary service later argued that its title did not clearly indicate its content. PEN Georgia called the restriction a case of literary censorship, raising concerns about access to books and freedom of expression.

As reported earlier, Georgian poet and translator Zviad Ratiani was sentenced to two years in prison in October 2025 following an incident involving a police officer during a protest in Tbilisi. PEN International and PEN Georgia called for Ratiani’s release and raised concerns about what they described as an escalating crackdown on dissent in the country.

Main photo: Radio Tavisupleba