Georgian media outlet Batumelebi accuses Gov’t of targeted financial pressure amid court case

Independent media outlet Batumelebi has accused Georgian authorities of using financial pressure in an effort to silence its operations, after the Revenue Service placed a collection order on the organization’s bank accounts citing tax debts.

The editorial team said on Monday Batumelebi was informed on July 1 that it owed a total of 47,000 GEL in principal debt, with additional interest and fines raising the total to over 280,000 GEL. The outlet claimed it had been repaying the debt in monthly installments and had formally requested a payment schedule in accordance with Georgia’s Tax Code - a request that was denied.

On July 17, the Revenue Service froze Batumelebi’s accounts, and the organization now faces the threat of its technical equipment and office being seized and sold by the National Bureau of Enforcement.

Journalists and supporters of the outlet allege the move is part of a wider campaign to pressure Batumelebi’s founder, Mzia Amaglobeli, ahead of an expected court ruling. A preliminary hearing in the case involving Amaglobeli is taking place today, July 21, presided over by Judge Nino Nameshvili.

“This is pressure on Mzia Amaglobeli to surrender,” the statement reads. “Everything planned this week, including the asset freeze, aims to break her and ultimately destroy the media organization she created.”

The outlet contrasted its treatment with that of pro-government broadcasters, pointing to Revenue Service data showing that TV Imedi owes 17 million GEL to the state, and Rustavi 2 owes 25 million GEL- both still operating without similar enforcement action.

The statement warned that such actions threaten democratic values in Georgia. “Freedom of speech is one of the main values of a democratic state, and its abolition is equivalent to the abolition of the state itself,” the editorial staff wrote.

The Revenue Service has not yet responded publicly to the allegations. The Ministry of Finance has also not issued a comment.