The Media Advocacy Coalition responds to the expiration of Vakhtang Abashidze’s mandate at the Communications Commission, noting that his long-standing professional trajectory has been closely tied to the systemic deterioration and restriction of media freedom in Georgia.
Vakhtang Abashidze held leadership and decision-making positions within the Commission at various times. He served as Chair during the presidency of Eduard Shevardnadze from 2000 to 2004. Following the come to power of the “Georgian Dream” government, he again served as Chair from 2014 to 2017, and since 2017 had been a member of the Commission. Throughout this extended career, despite maintaining a relatively calm and non-confrontational tone, Abashidze consistently participated in decisions that significantly constrained the operating environment for independent media.
The Communications Commission is a constitutional and collegial body. Criticism of its activities has been linked to selective regulation, unjustified sanctions against critical broadcasters, and interference in editorial content. Vakhtang Abashidze was not a passive observer of these processes, but rather a consistent supporter of them.
Vakhtang Abashidze’s loyalty to repressive policies was particularly evident during the tenure of Kakha Bekauri as Chair, when the Commission was used against independent media. Following pro-European protests, Bekauri was subjected to international sanctions for supporting repressive policies against independent media. This loyalty did not change under new leadership: from 2026, the newly elected Chair of the Commission, Goga Gulordava-a former “Georgian Dream” MP and a figure associated with the TV company “Imedi”-has continued the same institutional line. Abashidze has been replaced by Ani Vazagashvili,Head of the Legal Department of “Imedi,” who has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom for supporting Russian propaganda and disinformation.
Vakhtang Abashidze’s tenure at the Communications Commission remains one of the most notable examples of a repressive system in practice: a highly paid commissioner who, over the years, consistently supported policies serving the interests of “Georgian Dream” and restricting media freedom in Georgia.
