TBILISI, August 12 – A group of 19 journalists and camera operators who were injured during street protests in March 2023 have sued Georgia at the European Court of Human Rights.
The demonstrations took place after parliament passed the first reading of the controversial foreign influence law, and saw police use force to disperse crowds. Media workers on the scene reported being caught up in the crackdown, sustaining injuries while filming or reporting.
According to their lawyer Tornike Gigineishvili, domestic investigations into the incidents have gone nowhere. Despite initial statements from authorities and the collection of video evidence, he says no cases have been solved and that little of the footage has been studied more than two years later.
Press freedom advocates in Georgia highlight the cases as emblematic of government policies, while supporters of the authorities maintain that the protests were chaotic and violent, making investigations complex and time-consuming.
