On December 21, 2019, journalists gathered in front of the Parliament building to protest the increasing incidents of obstruction and physical attacks against members of the media.

According to the organizer, the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, the authorities failed to respond adequately to the violence and interference faced by journalists.

“Often, investigations launched into incidents of pressure are merely formal and do not proceed according to the law or with appropriate qualifications. In many cases, high-ranking political figures themselves encourage violence against the media. Numerous such cases have accumulated recently — journalists being expelled from Tbilisi City Hall and parliamentary committee sessions, attacks on reporters covering protests in the streets, verbal abuse from politicians, restrictions on access to public information, and developments at Adjara TV,” the Charter’s statement read.

It also noted that around 40 journalists were injured during the June 20–21, 2019 “Gavrilov’s Night” dispersal, yet no investigations were conducted and no perpetrators were held accountable.

Protesters held banners reading: “The public has the right to know the truth,” “Don’t block us,” “Don’t beat us,” “Don’t touch us.”

Journalists had already raised the same demands earlier, on June 21, when they held a protest called “Don’t shoot us” in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, using whistles and posters to denounce police violence against reporters covering the June 20–21 protests on Rustaveli Avenue.

They issued a public appeal addressed to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the government, and diplomatic missions accredited in Georgia, and began collecting signatures in support. However, their demands were ignored, and no response followed.