**Journalist’s Trial Continues Amid Concerns Over Free Press**
A crucial hearing is underway at Tbilisi City Court for Nikusha Katsia, a journalist arrested on charges of drug-related offenses. Today, evidence will be presented and examined, with the prosecution’s investigator and expert witnesses set to take the stand.
As the trial began, Katsia called on attendees to maintain order, warning that authorities were threatening to clear the courtroom. He also made a bold statement about the state of freedom in Georgia, suggesting that the government might try to ban media filming at trials. “This might be the last trial the media is allowed to cover,” he said. “The regime plans to ban media filming, but we’ll demand that the truth be told.”
Katsia’s comments come as no surprise, given the increasingly tense relationship between journalists and the Georgian government. The journalist was charged under Article 260 of the Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of 8 to 20 years or life imprisonment for large-scale narcotic substance possession.
**The Context: A Crackdown on Free Press?**
Katsia’s arrest has sparked concerns about the erosion of press freedom in Georgia. His comments today suggest that he believes the government is trying to silence him and limit media coverage of trials. If true, this would be a worrying development for democracy in the country.
In recent years, there have been growing allegations of government interference with independent media outlets and journalists. The move to ban media filming at trials could be seen as a further attempt to muzzle the press and control the narrative around sensitive cases like Katsia’s.
**The Trial: A Test of Justice?**
As the trial continues, attention will focus on whether justice is being served or if there are any signs of undue influence from authorities. The outcome will have significant implications for the country’s reputation as a democracy and for the future of press freedom in Georgia.
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