Sopiko Niauri
Affiliated media: TV Pirveli, Journalist
Incident date: October 11, 2024
Attack type:
- Fines and other restrictions following administrative offences
Who attacked: Authorities
Source: Mapping Media Freedom
Location: Georgia, Tbilisi
Additional information:
The Tbilisi City Court ordered the government-critical channel TV Pirveli and its journalist, Sophiko Niauri, to pay 10,000 GEL to former Minister of Internal Affairs, Aleksandre Chikaidze. Chikaidze filed a lawsuit seeking the recognition of information disseminated by TV Pirveli as defamatory and requesting compensation for "moral damages" in the amount of 100,000 GEL. According to TV Pirveli's lawyer, Tornike Mighineishvili, the channel disagrees with the court's decision and plans to appeal it. This legal dispute has been regarded as a SLAPP case by the Georgian human rights NGO, Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI).