Bera Ivanishvili, the son of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, has filed a lawsuit against opposition-leaning television channels TV Pirveli and Formula over alleged “defamatory” reports, demanding that the channels retract the information broadcast about him, Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) reported on November 3.
The lawsuit, filed at Tbilisi City Court, follows an earlier pledge by Ivanishvili, 31, that he would sue the channels over reports linking him to scam call centers, among others.
“The lawsuit concerns the dissemination of facts that are based on falsehood and have no connection to reality,” his lawyer, Davit Asatiani, who was president of the Georgian Bar Association from 2017 to 2025, was cited by GPB on November 3.
“The whole story is extensive, but in this case we have several facts that were disseminated without any verification or journalistic diligence. They directly concern the imputation of a crime, and some hypothetical link between him [Bera Ivanishvili] and criminal feuds,” he noted, adding that the details of the lawsuit would be made public later.
He added that Ivanishvili “has no connection whatsoever to politics” as he is “a musician, producer and composer.”
Bera Ivanishvili announced on September 30 that he planned to take legal action over what he called a “discrediting and defamatory campaign” against him and his family, including allegations that he protects so-called scam call centers.
He said at the time that “specific media outlets and specific individuals,” whom he did not name, had recently spread claims that “he is protecting call centers”, that “people are arrested on his instructions,” and that he “goes into unlawful deals.” Turning to the court, he said, is “not an act of revenge” but a “way to protect his dignity and rights.”
The case follows 2025 defamation-related amendments to the Law on Freedom of Speech and Expression that critics described as a further blow to freedom of speech. Under the changes, the burden of proof was shifted entirely from the plaintiff to the respondent, who must now justify why a statement was not defamatory. The amendments also allow people who consider themselves victims of defamation to seek financial or moral damages.
In a similar case, Tbilisi City Court fined Formula TV GEL 10,000 (about USD 3,800) in July and ordered it to retract on-air statements it deemed damaging to the “name, honor and dignity” of pro-government film director and former official Goga Khaindrava over a report about him.
Scam call centers operating in Georgia have led to a series of arrests and prosecutions, including former senior officials. In February, prosecutors charged ten people, including ex-Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, with fraud and money laundering linked to the centers, alleging that his network protected them. Former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili was convicted in September and sentenced to 13 years in prison, including on allegations of accepting a bribe in exchange for protecting a scam call center.
Also Read:
This post is also available in:
