Georgia Denies Entry to French Journalists Amid Press Freedom Concerns

Two French journalists, Jérôme Chobeaux and Clément Girardot, have been denied entry to Georgia, raising alarms among press freedom advocates. Both journalists had recently covered protests linked to allegations of electoral fraud in the country and were expelled without clear explanations or legal justification. Chobeaux was detained at Tbilisi airport, fined 10,000 lari, and deported to Athens, while Girardot, who has lived in Georgia for over a decade, faced a similar fate upon returning from France. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned these actions as part of a broader strategy by the Georgian government to suppress independent media and silence dissent. This crackdown coincides with Georgia's increasing alignment with Russia and a shift towards authoritarianism. RSF has called on the EU and France to pressure Georgia to uphold press freedoms and investigate these expulsions.