Journalist Vakho Sanaia Sentenced to 14 Days in Detention Over Facebook Post
By Messenger Staff
Friday, July 24, 2026
Journalist Vakho Sanaia has been sentenced to 14 days of administrative detention over a Facebook post concerning Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and MP Vladimer Bozhadze.
Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Tsekvava issued the ruling on July 22, approving a request from the Interior Ministry's Division for Combating Hate Speech. Sanaia, an anchor at opposition-leaning Formula TV, was not present at the hearing.
The detention followed a GEL 6,000 fine imposed on Sanaia on July 10 in a separate case brought by the same division over his social media posts involving Papuashvili and Bozhadze. The Interior Ministry said it sought a harsher penalty after Sanaia indicated he would continue making similar statements despite the court ruling.
Sanaia is the first known person to be placed in administrative detention following a complaint from the Interior Ministry's hate speech division, which was established on June 1 to monitor alleged hate speech in public spaces, including social media. The unit has since been involved in dozens of cases resulting in fines ranging from GEL 1,500 to GEL 6,000.
The ruling has drawn criticism from rights groups. Tamar Oniani, chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, called the detention a punishment aimed at restricting freedom of expression. Freedom House also condemned the decision, saying Sanaia's detention over a social media post violated his right to free expression and calling for his release.
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the ruling, saying Sanaia was acting as a political activist rather than as a journalist and that freedom of expression does not protect direct insults against individuals.
The case comes amid a wider series of legal proceedings over social media posts targeting government officials and public figures. On July 21, Tbilisi City Court fined protester Tamar Giorgadze GEL 3,000 over a Facebook post targeting Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. Civic activist Nata Peradze was also fined GEL 3,000 in a separate case involving a post about Ivanishvili's son, Bera Ivanishvili.
MEP Rasa Jukneviciene criticized Sanaia's detention, saying it showed Georgia was moving toward "Kremlin-style repression" and called for an EU response.
