Reporters Without Borders publishes its 2026 list of "Press Freedom Predators," which includes Bidzina Ivanishvili
Reporters Without Borders has released its 2026 list of "Predators of Press Freedom," featuring Bidzina Ivanishvili.
According to a report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Bidzina Ivanishvili—the Honorary Chairman of "Georgian Dream"—is among the individuals and organizations that exert economic influence over the media.
In its profile on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the organization notes that the "billionaire oligarch, former Prime Minister, and founder of the 'Georgian Dream' party remains the real power behind the Georgian government.
" A billionaire oligarch, former prime minister and founder of the Georgian Dream party, he remains the real power behind the Georgian government. His business empire and network of influence enable him to exert a tight grip on the country’s media landscape, particularly through pro-government television channels such as Imedi TV and Rustavi 2. Under his influence, economic resources and state institutions are used to serve a policy of stifling independent media: financial pressure, repressive laws, censorship and legal action. Independent journalists are stigmatised, intimidated and silenced.
2026 track record:
- The continued detention of Mzia Amaghlobeli, a leading figure in independent journalism, whose appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court and whose application for early release was denied
- The adoption of new repressive laws criminalising certain forms of foreign funding and threatening the survival of independent media and the NGOs that support them
- Manipulating the broadcasting regulator to sanction television channels that hold power to account, notably Formula TV and TV Pirveli, going so far as to ban them from using certain expressions critical of the government
- A growing number of legal proceedings and sanctions against journalists, alongside restrictions on their parliamentary accreditation”, reads the report.
For reference, according to the 2026 Media Freedom Index by the organization Reporters Without Borders, Georgia ranks 135th out of 180 countries worldwide.
