Tbilisi City Court has fined Georgia’s critical television channel Formula TV GEL 10,000 (about USD 3,800) after finding it guilty of a “false denunciation” charge in connection with a report about Goga Khaindrava, a Georgian film director and former official known for his pro-government stances.
Judge Liana Kazhashvili ruled on July 14 that the broadcaster must pay the fine for “inflicting moral harm” and retract on air statements the court deemed to have damaged Khaindrava’s “name, honor and dignity.”
Speaking after the ruling, Khaindrava said the money from the fine will be used to establish a foundation to “protect citizens from media terror.”
Formula’s lawyer, Eto Katamadze, said the decision set a “very dangerous precedent” for free and investigative journalism, adding that the broadcaster plans to appeal the ruling, including potentially taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The case concerned a report aired by Formula TV’s investigative programme Saturday Formula in January 2026. The report alleged that Khaindrava had helped foreign nationals enter Georgia in exchange for money.
The nearly six-minute segment relied on testimony from an unidentified source whose face was not shown and whose voice appeared to have been altered. The source alleged that, between 2015 and 2017, Khaindrava helped citizens of India and Pakistan enter Georgia by providing lists of individuals to the State Security Service, falsely claiming they were needed for film productions.
Prosecutors launched an investigation in June into allegations of a “false report,” with several Formula TV journalists later summoned for questioning.
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network for press freedom, raised concerns over the investigation in a July 1 statement, calling on Georgian authorities to halt the proceedings against the broadcaster and respect the confidentiality of journalistic sources.
The fine comes amid a deteriorating press freedom environment in Georgia and growing financial pressure on critical media outlets. Under legislative amendments adopted in April 2025, broadcasters were banned from receiving foreign funding, while the powers of the Communications Commission (ComCom), the state media regulator, were expanded to oversee media content.
In May, Formula received its first fine of GEL 2,500 (USD 930) from ComCom over what the body described as violations related to “personal opinions,” “impartiality” and “balance.” A similar fine was imposed on another opposition-leaning broadcaster, TV Pirveli, in June.
In early July, Formula canceled its morning programme, citing financial difficulties, and said it had laid off some staff.
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