TBILISI, August 3 – The Facebook page of Georgian investigative outlet Studio Monitor has been removed after Meta reportedly accused it of copyright violations, the media organisation said on Monday.
Studio Monitor editor Nino Zuriashvili described the deletion as the third recent attack on the outlet’s online presence. Its YouTube channel was also disabled on July 25, but was later restored.
Zuriashvili linked the problems to Studio Monitor’s investigations, including an upcoming report about alleged scammers. She did not identify anyone she believed was responsible or provide evidence that the removal had been deliberately arranged.
Local media reports did not cite Meta regarding which material allegedly violated copyright rules or whether Studio Monitor could appeal the company’s decision.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Nino Tsilosani, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, welcomed the deletion. Writing on Facebook, she accused Studio Monitor of spreading false information and political manipulatio, pointing to an earlier report about her home, saying the outlet had wrongly connected the property with a nearby church. She argued that the Facebook decision raised questions about Studio Monitor’s credibility.
Studio Monitor is an established Georgian investigative journalism organisation. In February, it won the investigative reporting category at the EU Prize for Journalism 2025.
The outlet has also been involved in a series of disputes over media access and regulation. In May, Parliament cancelled the accreditation of four Studio Monitor journalists before the end of their accreditation period, saying they had not entered Parliament for 10 consecutive weeks. The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics described the decision as part of growing pressure on independent media.
Studio Monitor is also among the media groups challenging Georgia’s ‘foreign agent’ legislation before the European Court of Human Rights.
