Amid growing authoritarianism, two French journalists were denied entry into Georgia. This information was reported by the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The organization states that today, April 10, French photojournalist Jérôme Chobeaux filed a legal complaint regarding his arbitrary expulsion from the Georgian border.

It is also noted that two months ago, on February 12, 2025, Clément Girardeau was denied entry into Georgia “without any valid reason,” despite having worked in the country for over ten years. His complaint was rejected by Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, and a court hearing has been scheduled for June 23.

“The entry bans imposed on these two French journalists, who are known for covering the protests against the controversial elections held on October 26, are part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate reporters. RSF strongly condemns these abusive expulsions, calls on the ruling party to uphold its obligations regarding press freedom in Georgia, and urges France and the European Union to put pressure on the Georgian government,” said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.

RSF notes that French photojournalist Jérôme Chobeaux had been covering the post-election protests in Georgia for over two months before briefly returning to France. When he attempted to re-enter Tbilisi on March 30, he was detained at the airport, held for several hours without access to his phone or luggage, and then deported to Athens. He was asked to immediately pay two fines of 5,000 GEL each without any explanation or justification. However, one officer later told him that he would not be allowed entry “even if he paid,” as the order “came from above.”

It is also noted that prior to the two French journalists, two other European reporters were denied entry to Georgia before the elections — specifically, Ray Beisly, a citizen of the Czech Republic, and Stéphane Goss, a citizen of Switzerland.

RSF points out that until now, such entry bans typically targeted journalists expelled from authoritarian countries like Russia and Belarus.