Journalist Vakho Sanaia Sentenced to 30 Days of Administrative Detention

Journalist Vakho Sanaia has been sentenced to 30 days of detention due to a status update posted on Facebook. Judge Tornike Kochkiani announced the decision, granting a motion filed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Sanaia was not present at the hearing; he also declined to retain a lawyer, as he considers the "prosecution over social media posts to be absurd."

The Ministry of Internal Affairs accused Sanaia of insulting political officials in three posts published on social media.

It is worth noting that journalist Vakho Sanaia had previously served a 14-day term of administrative detention. He was arrested near his home on July 22. On that occasion, the 14-day sentence was imposed due to a social media post concerning the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, and Member of Parliament Vladimir Bozhadze. The Division for Combating Hate Speech—established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs to address such issues—has reached out to the Tbilisi City Court regarding the post.