EU Prize for Journalism in Georgia: award for media excellence or encouragement of violence?

Paweł Herczyński, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, on Friday presented the winners of 2026 EU Prize in Journalism, with the outlet Publika dominating three categories - Best Blog, Best Documentary Photo, and Best Story - all centered on individuals involved in violent protests, including Mzia Amaghlobeli, convicted of assaulting a police officer, and others detained for related offences.

All three awarded works by Publika are connected to individuals involved in violent protests.

The Best Documentary Photo award went to a photograph of Mzia Amaghlobeli, taken during a court hearing at the Batumi City Court in her criminal case related to an attack on a police officer.

The Best Blog and Best Story also focus on individuals accused or convicted of offences against public order and law enforcement, while referring to them as “prisoners of conscience” and portraying criminal cases in a romanticised manner.

More specifically, the winner in the Best Blog category is “The Photojournalist’s Final Statement”, which concerns the ban on filming court proceedings. It reads: “…this was an opportunity that prisoners of conscience often used to express their civic position and convey their message to the public”.

It also states: “…Publika began actively covering court proceedings after the protests against the Russian law in 2024. At that time, the Georgian judicial system was considering the cases of ten prisoners of conscience”.

The piece includes numerous photos of “prisoners of conscience”, and the author claims that “…the media showed society the cases and stories of prisoners of conscience labelled as radicals by the regime, spoke about false witnesses, and showed the faces of judges”.

In addition to the blog prepared about the romanticised criminal cases of those detained on charges of attacking police officers, group damage to another person’s property, and the purchase, possession, and carrying of especially large quantities of narcotics (Anton Chechini), as well as the photo of Mzia Amaghlobeli, the EU has a third winner from Publika in the Best Story category.

The story about Publika reporter Aleksandre Keshelashvili claims that while covering violent protests, “he was beaten and robbed by police officers”.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs accused him of violating Articles 166 and 173 of the Administrative Offences Code, which refer to petty hooliganism and disobedience to the police.

Ultimately, the court found Keshelashvili guilty of an administrative offence and issued him a verbal warning.

Another noteworthy detail is that a letter by Mzia Amaghlobeli was read at the award ceremony, in which she says: “I consider this meeting especially valuable and significant also because it is organised by the European Union - an alliance that has been, and I believe will continue to be, a compass of global security, justice, equality, and prosperity”.

She also states that “the regime, with its repressive and hostile attitudes, has planned the murder of our profession - journalism”.
In her letter, Amaghlobeli also mentions Mate Devidze - “a 20-year-old musician, one of the political prisoners who took to the streets demanding a European future and was detained”.

The public, however, saw footage of Devidze striking law enforcement officers with a stick during a protest on Melikishvili Avenue.
If we are to believe the EU Delegation to Georgia, “the competition contributes to strengthening professional and ethical journalism in Georgia”.

According to them, over the past decade, the EU Prize has been awarded to outstanding works based on democratic values.

And yet, in reality, what is the European Union rewarding in Georgia - journalism or violence against the state and its institutions?