Prepared by Messenger Staff
Georgian Authorities Seize Bank Accounts of Independent Media Outlet Batumelebi
Georgia's Revenue Service froze the bank accounts of the independent media outlet Batumelebi/Netgazeti on July 17, citing outstanding tax debt. The outlet, however, has called the move an attempt to silence a critical voice.
In a statement released on July 21, Batumelebi warned that the incasso order could allow authorities to liquidate its assets.
"This means the National Bureau of Enforcement could begin selling off Batumelebi's assets, including technical equipment and its office," the outlet said.
The account seizure comes just one week before a court is expected to issue a verdict in the criminal case against Batumelebi founder Mzia Amaghlobeli. She faces four to seven years in prison for slapping Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze during a confrontation.
"The seizure and the other actions planned for the coming days appear aimed at breaking her personally and, ultimately, destroying the media organization she founded," Batumelebi stated.
According to the Revenue Service, the outlet currently owes GEL 47,000 in unpaid taxes. That figure is down from GEL 136,000 earlier this month, when the agency issued a notice giving Batumelebi five days to pay or face a forced account seizure. The debt includes GEL 126,000 in accrued interest and GEL 109,000 in penalties.
Batumelebi said it had acknowledged the debt and had been paying it off in installments. The outlet appealed to the Revenue Service for a payment plan, but the request was denied.
"The threat of seizure is a telling example of selective pressure," the outlet said, pointing to much larger debts owed by pro-government broadcasters. Imedi TV reportedly owes GEL 17 million , while Rustavi 2's debt stands at GEL 25 million.
Two other broadcasters, Radio Tbilisi and Trialeti TV, reported in late June that their accounts were also frozen due to outstanding debts. Both outlets said the seizures were politically motivated and aimed at silencing dissent.
Lawyer Says Georgian Government Blocking OSCE Monitoring of Political Prisoner Trials
Giorgi Burjanadze, a lawyer and representative of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, said on Sunday that the Georgian Dream government is withholding consent needed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor trials of individuals considered political prisoners.
Burjanadze stated that the information came directly from the OSCE. According to him, although ODIHR has expressed readiness to observe the legal proceedings, it cannot proceed without formal approval from the courts.
"ODIHR expresses its readiness to monitor the trials of political prisoners after the necessary consent," Burjanadze wrote. "This is especially important after the trials are closed."
The 5th President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, officially invited the OSCE/ODIHR to Georgia on December 10, 2024, to monitor the cases. However, as Burjanadze explained, the monitoring requires judicial approval under ODIHR's established methodology, and that approval has not yet been granted.
Burjanadze criticized the apparent lack of transparency, recalling that Georgian Dream itself invited ODIHR to monitor trials in 2013.
"If they had nothing to hide then, what do they have today?" he asked.
