TV Pirveli journalist attacked while reporting on local politician’s resignation

Opposition-aligned TV Pirveli journalist Mariam Makasarasvhili was physically attacked on Monday afternoon while reporting on the resignation of Giorgi Shinjikashvili, the First Deputy State Representative in Kvemo Kartli.

According to TV Pirveli, which broke the news, Makasarashili arrived at Shinjikashvili’s house in Martkopi, a town to the east of Tbilisi, with a camera crew to investigate Shinjikashvili’s resignation — his Facebook post only stated that his decision to leave his post was a ‘personal’ one.

‘Naturally, we had questions for him, and it was precisely to ask these questions that we came to his residence, where members of Giorgi Shinjikashvili's family were present’, Makasarashili told TV Pirveli’s editorial office live on air following the incident.

‘As we were leaving the surrounding area and recording the footage, Giorgi Shinjikashvili’s father [whom they had previously interviewed] suddenly became aggressive towards me and my camera operator. He turned to physical violence — initially he took away the television equipment from my camera operator — the camera with which we were filming and recording this interview’, she said.

Makasarashili said that Shinjikashvili’s father then took her cell phone before physically confronting her, including slapping her.

‘My camera operator and I both had facial injuries, and the camera was also damaged, with broken parts’, she said.

The camera, with a damaged SD card, as well as a cell phone, were later returned to the TV Pirveli camera crew after cars with tinted windows appeared at the scene.

According to Makasarashvili, it took one hour for an ambulance to arrive, after which two police officers appeared.

‘Our dialogue was exactly like this, these people asked me, “Are you the victim?” I said, “Yes, and they left. After that, I never saw them again. They did not question me at the scene, they did not question the attacker, they did not extract the surveillance camera recordings’, Makasarashvili said.

According to the head of TV Pirveli, Nodar Meladze, the ambulance tried to transfer Makasarashvili to a clinic in Rustavi, to the south of Tbilisi. TV Pirveli refused, and transported Makasarashvili to Tbilisi themselves.

‘When there may be a head injury, the Ministry of Health is completely at the mercy of what will happen and how it will happen. This is the approach of the Ministry of Health. The most serious thing about what happened today is the regime's attitude towards the media’, Meladze said.

Upon returning to Tbilisi, Makasarashvili was admitted to the Ingorokva Clinic, where she was diagnosed with a concussion.

‘She has coordination problems, especially when standing up, which is why we decided to keep her under observation today. There are no visible injuries, although she says she has blunt force trauma to the left side, that is, to the left side of her head’, a doctor at the clinic told TV Pirveli on Tuesday.

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has since launched an investigation into the incident under the article related to the obstruction of journalistic activity. However, Makasarashvili’s lawyer has stated that harsher charges should be enacted as an attack took place.

‘The critical state of media freedom’

Georgia’s Media Advocacy Coalition has condemned the attack, stating that it ‘once again clearly demonstrates the critical state of media freedom and security in the country’.

‘Unfortunately, this is not the first time that an independent media representative has been attacked while performing their professional duties. Since 28 November 2024, 145 incidents of violations of the rights of media representatives have been recorded at pro-European rallies and/or in cases related to rallies’, the coalition’s statement read.

‘Dozens of journalists have repeatedly become targets of various types of repression. To date, not a single perpetrator has been identified and brought to justice. The current situation clearly demonstrates the systemic problems that exist in the country. This is a direct result of the political regime led by [Georgian Dream founder] Bidzina Ivanishvili, where the principles of a legal state are completely ignored’.

This is not the first time TV Pirveli journalists have faced violence during their work duties.

In February, ten masked Georgian police officers were filmed violently detaining Lasha Jioshvili, a TV Pirveli camera operator, charging him with disobeying the police.

Jioshvili’s whereabouts were unknown for several hours. His lawyer, Tornike Migineishvili, said that Jioshvili was transferred to a detention centre in Zahesi, and that he had a bruise on his left hand due to the police’s use of disproportionate force in his detention.

Migineishvili also wrote on Facebook that the police were demanding that Jioshvili unlock his phone at the detention centre.

In a report published by the Public Defender’s Office, the office’s representatives said that the police also exerted psychological pressure on Jioshvili.

‘One police officer said: “If necessary, we’ll take [gunpowder] from [your] home, boy. Why would I put anything [in your pocket] now?”’, read the report, possibly implying that he was threatening to plant evidence on him.

Previously, in December 2024, the crew of TV channel Pirveli’s show ‘Nodar Meladzis Shabati’ (‘Nodar Meladze’s Saturday’) were attacked during a live broadcast as they covered assaults by masked individuals on demonstrators near Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi.

The attackers first deployed what reportedly appeared to be pepper spray in the direction of the crew.

Then, one masked man violently grabbed reporter Maka Chikhladze, covering her face with his hand and throwing her to the ground before the crew went offline.

Chikhladze reported that the men asked, ‘You bitch, what are you filming?’ during the assault.

A video subsequently shared on social media appeared to show camera operator Giorgi Shetsiruli also on the ground, covering his head as multiple masked people kicked him.

Both Chikhladze and Shetsiruli sustained visible head injuries.

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OC MediaRobin Fabbro