Appeal to International Organizations to Examine the Case of Systemic Pressure Against Georgia's Independent Regional Broadcaster - TV and Radio Company "Trialeti"

To Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ARTICLE 19, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Press Institute (IPI), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), Freedom House, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UNESCO, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and other international organizations working in the field of media freedom and the protection of human rights.

 

We respectfully request that, within the scope of your mandate, you examine the facts of the financial, administrative, and legal pressure exercised against Georgia's independent regional broadcaster - TV and Radio Company "Trialeti" - over the past year, and assess whether these processes comply with international standards on media freedom, the rule of law, equality before the law, effective legal protection, and fair administrative proceedings.

 

Over the past year, we have appealed to virtually every state institution whose competence includes the protection of our rights and the examination of our case, including the Prime Minister of Georgia, the Parliament of Georgia, parliamentary committees, the Ministry of Finance, the Revenue Service, the Public Defender, the courts, the Prosecutor's Office, and other relevant institutions.

 

Despite this, we have not received effective legal protection, and an independent, impartial, and objective assessment of our case has not been carried out to this day. Some of our applications and complaints have remained unanswered, while in other instances the examination of the case and the adoption of decisions have been unjustifiably delayed. It is precisely these circumstances that compelled us to appeal to international organizations.

 

TV and Radio Company "Trialeti" is one of Georgia's oldest independent regional broadcasters. Since 1990, the company has operated continuously for 36 years, covering issues of public importance and serving the public's right to receive independent, impartial, and objective information.

 

For years, "Trialeti" has been subjected to various forms of pressure. Representatives of the local authorities obstructed the professional activities of our journalists, restricted access to public information, denied our journalists access to administrative buildings, and otherwise hindered the broadcaster's activities.

 

At the same time, we have repeatedly received information from business representatives that informal pressure was exerted on them not to cooperate with "Trialeti" or to terminate existing cooperation. In addition, several court cases brought against local authorities have been awaiting the commencement of substantive proceedings for years.

 

At the beginning of 2025, the pressure intensified even further. The process shifted to the level of the central government and, from 30 June 2025, assumed a systematic pattern of financial, administrative, and legal pressure that continues to this day.

 

The Revenue Service imposed collection orders on the bank accounts of TV and Radio Company "Trialeti" on three occasions. In all three cases, the imposition of the collection orders coincided in time with the broadcasting of journalistic reports critical of the Prime Minister of Georgia and the Government.

 

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the first two collection orders were lifted after a certain period, while the third, imposed on 9 January 2026, remains in force to this day. The sequence of these events, together with the timing of the collection orders and the chronology of critical journalistic reporting, requires an independent assessment in order to determine whether the tax enforcement mechanism was used as a means of exerting pressure on an independent media outlet.

 

As a result of the ongoing collection order, "Trialeti" was deprived of the ability to freely use its bank accounts, pay employees' salaries, cover the technical costs of broadcasting, and meet other obligations necessary for the company's day-to-day operations.

As a result of these processes, TV and Radio Company "Trialeti" found itself in an extremely difficult financial situation. Satellite broadcasting was discontinued, employees worked for months without salaries, the resources necessary for the company's operations were significantly reduced, and the broadcaster is currently forced to continue operating under an emergency reduced operating mode in order to avoid a complete suspension of broadcasting and the eventual closure of the company.

 

"Trialeti" does not deny the existence of its tax liability and does not seek any special concession or any form of preferential treatment.

Throughout this entire period, our only request has been that the principle of equality before the law be respected and that "Trialeti" be granted the right to benefit from the same legal mechanisms that the State has applied to other media outlets.

 

A number of media outlets in Georgia have tax liabilities, and the tax debts of some of them amount to tens of millions of Georgian Lari. Public statements made by the Prime Minister of Georgia also confirmed that the State applied tax debt restructuring, tax settlement agreements, and other legal mechanisms in relation to certain television companies.

 

Despite this, "Trialeti" was repeatedly denied access to the same legal mechanisms, or its requests remained unanswered.

We challenged the decisions of the Revenue Service before the courts and requested the temporary suspension of the collection order; however, the court of first instance did not grant our motion.

 

We appealed this decision to the Tbilisi Court of Appeals on 16 March 2026. The Court officially informed us that it had admitted our appeal for consideration and would examine it within the two-month period prescribed by law.

 

Despite this, the statutory time limit expired long ago, and the Court's decision has still not been served on us. As a result, the consideration of the request for interim legal protection, which was of crucial importance for the continuation of the broadcaster's operations and the prevention of its closure, has also been delayed.

 

We also submitted new factual circumstances to the Court of Appeals, including public statements made by the Prime Minister of Georgia regarding the State's different approach towards the tax liabilities of other television companies. However, these circumstances have also not been assessed to this day.

 

Over the past year, we have repeatedly appealed to the Prime Minister of Georgia, the Parliament of Georgia, parliamentary committees, the Ministry of Finance, the Revenue Service, the Public Defender, the courts, and the Prosecutor's Office. We also provided information to diplomatic missions accredited in Georgia, international organizations, and numerous organizations working in the field of media freedom and the protection of human rights.

 

We submitted documents, official correspondence, court materials, and specific factual circumstances. We requested answers, an examination of the case, and an assessment of the possible violation of the principle of equality before the law.

Nevertheless, the principal and fundamental question in this case remains unanswered to this day:

 

Why was TV and Radio Company "Trialeti" not granted the right to benefit from the same legal mechanisms that the State has already applied to other media outlets?

 

It also remains unanswered why, over the course of one year, no independent and objective examination of this case has taken place, why so many of our appeals have remained unanswered, and why the operation of the legal and institutional mechanisms whose purpose is to ensure the effective protection of the rights of citizens and organizations has been delayed.

 

We believe that this case no longer concerns only one regional broadcaster. It raises important questions regarding equality before the law, the impartiality of state institutions, selective administrative practice, effective judicial protection, media freedom, and the functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia.

 

Weakening an independent regional media outlet or forcing it to close through financial and administrative mechanisms harms not only the specific media organization concerned, but also the public's right to receive diverse, critical, and locally relevant information.

 

We kindly request that, within the scope of your mandate:

• examine the presented factual and legal circumstances;

• assess whether the actions taken against "Trialeti" comply with international standards on media freedom, the rule of law, equality before the law, effective legal protection, and fair administrative proceedings;

• where appropriate, request additional information and explanations from the relevant state authorities of Georgia;

• monitor this case;

• where possible, issue a public statement, issue recommendations, or take any other appropriate action within the scope of your mandate;

• where appropriate, reflect this case in your reports, statements, and assessments concerning the state of media freedom.

 

Any independent assessment, recommendation, public statement, monitoring, or other form of support that contributes to an objective, impartial, and internationally standards-based examination of this case would be of great importance to us.

 

If necessary, we are ready to provide additional documents, court materials, official correspondence with state authorities, financial and legal information, video materials, and other evidence.

 

We hope that the facts presented will serve as a basis for an independent assessment and an appropriate response.

 

We thank you in advance for considering our appeal and hope that your assessment and response will contribute to the protection of media freedom, the rule of law, and the principle of equality before the law in Georgia.

 

Respectfully,

TV and Radio Company "Trialeti"

Gori, Georgia

2026