Georgia: TV Rain Journalist Refused Entry To Georgia – CFWIJ Demands Authorities Allow Independent Russian Journalists To Work Freely
Location: Georgia, Tbilisi
Date: March 14, 2023
Russian journalist Aleksandra Shvedchenko detained at Georgian airport and refused entry to the country. The TV Rain reporter was returning home to Tbilisi when she was barred for unspecified reasons. The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands that authorities explain why they denied her entry and to stop hindering independent Russian journalists.
On March 14, TV Rain (Dozhd) announced that their reporter Aleksandra Shvedchenko was denied re-entry to Georgia. The journalist has been living in Georgia for a year and was returning from a work assignment in Latvia when she was detained. After thirty minutes an immigration official told her, “that she was not allowed into the country for “other reasons” provided for by Georgian legislation.” The TV reporter flew back to Riga, Latvia.
This is not the first time Russian journalists, writers, and activists have been barred from Georgia. Journalists from Poekt, Mediazona, and Kholod were previously stopped at the country’s border. In November 2022, Pussy Riot member Veronika Nikulshina and investigative journalist Yekaterina Arenina were not allowed into the country.
TV Rain broadcasting in exile
TV Rain is an independent Russian media outlet that is operating in exile. The station was banned in Russia in 2022 and many of its journalists are listed as “foreign agents” by the state. Latvian authorities welcomed over two hundred Russian media workers in the first months of war in Ukraine. TV Rain relocated to Riga and obtained a Latvian media license that would allow them to broadcast in the EU. In December 2022, TV Rain’s Latvian license was revoked following on-air comments made by presenter Alexey Korostelev about financially supporting Russian Armed Forces. In January 2023, the station obtained a broadcast license in the Netherlands and continues to broadcast with studios and teams of journalists in Riga, Amsterdam, and Tbilisi.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed by the decision to bar Shvedchenko from Georgia. Russian independent journalists should be free to travel, report and work safely. Their coverage of the war is vital considering the state's control of media in Russia. Georgian authorities need to explain why Shvedchenko was denied entry to the country and ensure that media workers who report truthfully on Russia and its invasion of Ukraine are allowed to work in the country.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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