Georgia: two French journalists turned away at the border as authoritarianism hardens
Journalists Clément Girardot and Jérôme Chobeaux were recently denied entry into Georgia without justification. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the authorities’ highly concerning tendencies to obstruct independent media coverage of the ongoing protests.
Today, Photojournalist Jérôme Chobeaux filed a legal complaint concerning his arbitrary expulsion at the Georgian border — a move echoing the case of Clément Girardot, who faced a similar ban two months earlier. Although he has worked in Georgia for over a decade, Clément Girardot was denied entry on 12 February 2025 without a valid reason. His appeal was rejected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a court hearing is scheduled for 23 June. The Georgian Ombudsman (Public Defender) has denounced serious irregularities in the legal process and a disproportionate violation of the journalist’s fundamental rights.
“The entry bans imposed on these two French journalists, both known for their on-the-ground coverage of the protests against the contested elections that took place on 26 October, are part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate reporters. RSF firmly condemns these abusive expulsions, urges the ruling party to uphold Georgia’s press freedom commitments and calls on France and the European Union to exert pressure on the Georgian government.
A freelance photographer for the Italian agency NurPhoto, Jérôme Chobeaux covered the post-election protests in Georgia for over two months before briefly returning to France. When he tried to re-enter Tbilisi on 30 March, he was stopped at the airport, held for several hours without access to his phone or luggage, and then expelled to Athens. Border officials demanded immediate cash payment for two fines of 5,000 GEL each (about 1,650 EUR) without providing any explanation or proof. One officer later told him he wouldn’t be allowed in “even if he paid,” due to an order from “higher up.” Chobeaux refused to sign any document acknowledging the expulsion and received no official notice of the alleged fines.
Expelled without cause
Clément Girardot’s case is equally illustrative of the authorities’ arbitrary restrictions’. A journalist working with international print outlets such as Le Monde, Society and Al Jazeera, for the past few months his worked focused on Georgia’s protest movement and the subsequent crackdown. “That may be what led the authorities to place me on a ‘red list,’” he said. On 12 February, returning from a trip to France, he was stopped at passport control, summoned by a police officer after a long wait and sent back without explanation. The only document he received cited “other reasons,” which holds no legal weight according to his lawyer. Even though the journalist has tried to get more information through the French embassy and a local lawyer, the Georgian authorities have remained silent about the real reason for his expulsion.
Since the disputed parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 — widely considered to be fraudulent — both local and foreign journalists have been increasingly subjected to coercive measures: police violence during protests, legal intimidation, detention and expulsions. Before the two French journalists were turned away from the border, two other European reporters — Czech national Ray Baseley and Swiss photographer Stephan Goss — were denied entry just ahead of the elections. Until now, such border bans had mainly affected exiled journalists from authoritarian states, namely Russia and Belarus. The ruling Georgian Dream party has also ramped up repressive legislation, including laws on “foreign influence” and new broadcasting regulations that further endanger press freedom in the country.
