TBILISI, October 19 – A well-known Georgian journalist and TV anchor, Vakho Sanaia, was detained by police in central Tbilisi on Sunday, his employer Formula TV reported.
A Video circulating on social media showed Sanaia entering a police car, with bystanders filming. Formula said the journalist was detained for allegedly blocking Rustaveli Avenue, where opposition protesters have gathered daily to object to alleged election fraud and political repression.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has not yet commented on the reasons for the detention of one of Georgia’s most recognizable television presenters. Formula said it is seeking clarification from the authorities.
In a statement released shortly after the incident, and cited by Interpressnews, the channel condemned Sanaia’s detention as “an act of repression against a journalist and independent media,” claiming it reflected an “increasingly hostile environment for civil rights and press freedom.”
“Today, the regime’s police detained Formula’s anchor and journalist Vaho Sanaia, allegedly for participating in a protest under new repressive laws,” the statement said. The broadcaster called for his immediate release and urged the international community to express support.
The network also noted that Sanaia, who anchors Formula’s main evening news program, had been preparing for his nightly broadcast when he was detained.
The arrest comes one day before an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, where security in the Black Sea region will be on the agenda, with the participation of Georgia.
Later on Sunday, the Media Advocacy Coalition, a network of Georgian media organizations and watchdog groups, condemned Sanaia’s arrest as a “gross violation of media and speech freedom.” In a statement released on social media, the coalition said that pressure on journalists has become “systematic and organized” in recent years and argued that such actions constitute “an attack not only on the media but on every citizen’s freedom.”
The group linked the case to what it called “a new repressive law” used to target peaceful protesters, echoing claims made earlier by Formula TV, which described the arrest as an attempt to intimidate independent media. The coalition expressed solidarity with Sanaia, his colleagues, and demonstrators “seeking to defend their rights,” calling for the journalist’s immediate release along with all others “unlawfully detained.”
(An earlier version of this article stated, incorrectly, that EU leaders will arrive in Georgia.)
