Georgia has lost its internet freedom status according to a Freedom House report

Status change and assessment

According to a new report by the international organization Freedom House, Georgia has lost its status as a country with "free" internet. According to the organization's data, the country's status is currently "partly free". It is noteworthy that sources provide conflicting information regarding how long the country maintained its previous status: according to publika, Georgia had continuously maintained "free" status for the last ten years, while according to mtavari-fb, the country lost a 14-year status. Publika+5

Reasons and government actions

According to the report, the deterioration of the status is linked to the government's suppression of online activism and expressions that were perceived as critical toward "Georgian Dream". According to netgazeti-fb, the drop in the rating is linked to specific political events, although radiotavisupleba-fb notes that specific cases are not named in the document. Publika+5

According to interpressnews, despite the improvement in the internet penetration rate, the government continued repressions against activism related to the decision made regarding the suspension of integration negotiations with the European Union. The report notes that online journalists and social media users often become targets of fines, searches, summons to agencies, and investigations. Interpressnews+6