Sanaia Vows to Continue Speaking Out After 30-Day Detention Sentence
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Formula TV journalist and anchor Vakho Sanaia has vowed to continue speaking out after being sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention over social media posts targeting Georgian Dream officials, saying the punishment will not silence him or other critics of the government.
"We will not be silenced. These tactics cannot stop us. In fact, no method at all can suppress the expression of free thought," Sanaia said. "We decide what we write, what we read, and how we present information to our audience. We choose our own words, not Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is busy creating his own separate dictionary."
Sanaia warned that restrictions on language could affect journalists and the wider public. He pointed to a list of 93 words and phrases reportedly prohibited for media outlets under Communications Commission rules, arguing that any wording carrying a critical tone could become unacceptable to the authorities.
He said this was his third time facing detention and argued that the proceedings were intended to intimidate people into avoiding criticism.
"This is simply a message to the public, a warning for people not to write or speak out," Sanaia said. He maintained that his posts did not constitute an offense and said he would repeat his statements "a million times," adding that his intention had been to call people by what he considered their proper names.
Tbilisi City Court Judge Tornike Kochkiani sentenced Sanaia to 30 days of administrative detention on October 19. The Interior Ministry accused him of insulting public officials in three social media posts concerning Shalva Papuashvili and lawmaker Vladimer Bozhadze. Sanaia did not attend the hearing and has described the case as absurd. He remains at home.
Transparency International Georgia expressed solidarity with Sanaia, describing the case as punishment for his criticism of Bidzina Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream.
"Pressure, persecution, and legal manipulations directed against independent journalists and critical media are part of an authoritarian system that aims to suppress free speech and intimidate the public," the organization said, adding that media freedom is a key pillar of democracy.
The organization also expressed solidarity with journalists who continue their work despite pressure.
Georgia's fifth President Salome Zourabichvili also condemned the sentence, writing on social media that Georgia was following "Moscow's playbook" by turning Facebook posts into offenses and sending journalists to detention.
"Vakho Sanaia's 30-day sentence is an authoritarian regime's desperate measure to comfort itself and survive," Zourabichvili wrote.
