Georgia's Anti-Corruption Bureau Targets Independent Media Outlets
The Anti-Corruption Bureau in Georgia has sparked concern by launching inquiries into several independent online media outlets. The probes, initiated under the law on grants and related regulations, have targeted at least four media entities, including the Organised Crime Research Media Centre and Project 64. The affected outlets have not received any new international constitution grants since April 16, 2025, when restrictive amendments to the law were adopted.
The bureau's initial letters did not specify which articles of the law formed the basis of the probes. One of the first media organizations to respond was Project 64, which refused to comply without a court order. The bureau has set a tight deadline of three business days for providing detailed information about every grant agreement signed or in force since the law's amendments. The requested data includes specifics about each grant, a demand that the Organised Crime Research Media Centre, running the investigative journalism platform iFact, has deemed an attempt to disrupt and pressure the media. The organization responsible for the Mtis Ambebi project also criticized the agency's request as arbitrary, disproportionate, and violating confidentiality provisions.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau's inquiries into independent media outlets have raised concerns about potential censorship and intimidation. The targeted outlets have not received new international grants since the law's amendments, and the bureau's demands for extensive grant information have been met with resistance. The situation remains under scrutiny, with no specific names of investigating officials from the Georgian Anti-Corruption Agency provided as of now.
