The ruling Georgian Dream party has advanced sweeping legislative changes that would severely restrict media access to courtrooms while significantly increasing judges’ salaries—a combination critics warn will further shield the judiciary from public scrutiny amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent.

According to a package of amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts, currently being fast-tracked through Georgia’s one-party parliament, all photo, video, and audio recording in courthouses and surrounding premises would be banned unless explicitly authorized by the court. Only designated court representatives or individuals granted permission by a judge would be allowed to document proceedings.

The proposed changes mark a significant rollback of existing media access rights. Under current law, Georgia’s Public Broadcaster is entitled to record open hearings and share that material with other outlets, with private broadcasters stepping in if it declines. The new bill repeals these guarantees entirely.

Journalists and media organizations have reacted with alarm. The amendments would drastically hinder the media’s ability to monitor and report on judicial processes, warned the Media Advocacy Coalition in a June 24 statement, calling the draft law a blow to democratic oversight. The coalition emphasized that the restrictions come at a time when numerous politically sensitive trials—particularly those tied to ongoing anti-government protests—are reaching their final stages.

Trials related to recent demonstrations, many involving opposition figures and civil society activists, have attracted intense public interest. Photographs and videos of courtroom exchanges—including testimony from police and defense witnesses—have circulated widely on social media and in the press, despite growing obstacles to reporting. Journalists have repeatedly reported being obstructed or removed from court premises.

Under the bill, courts may choose to release video or photographic content from hearings, but only if doing so does not “violate the law.” Any direct recording—video or audio—would require a formal motion and a judge’s written approval.

Beyond courtroom restrictions, the bill eliminates provisions that currently protect visitors’ rights to carry personal recording devices, such as phones or laptops, into court buildings. The revised law would allow such items to be confiscated, effectively extending control over both internal and external media access.

Proponents of the bill argue the changes are necessary to preserve courtroom order and align Georgia with “international norms.” “In recent years, we’ve seen courtrooms turned into a circus,” claimed Tbilisi Mayor and Georgian Dream Secretary General Kakha Kaladze. He argued the reform mirrors practices in various European countries and the United States, though he did not specify which ones.

The bill’s explanatory note states its goal is to “prevent obstruction of judicial processes” while claiming it will still ensure “open proceedings.”

In addition to restricting press access, the bill offers substantial financial incentives to the judiciary, proposing a near-doubling of salaries for judges across all levels—from local courts to the Supreme Court.

Fixed salaries would be abolished, replaced by a formula tying judicial compensation to a base salary multiplier. The current base salary of GEL 1,460 (about USD 540) would be multiplied by a factor depending on the judge’s position: 7.2 for city court judges and 10 for the Supreme Court chairperson, for example.

This would raise city court judges’ monthly salaries from approximately GEL 4,000 (USD 1,470) to GEL 10,512 (USD 3,860). The head of the Supreme Court would see their pay increase from GEL 7,000 (USD 2,570) to GEL 14,600 (USD 5,360), making it the highest judicial salary in the country.

The timing of the proposed raises has fueled further criticism. Many judges in Georgia, including high-ranking members of the judiciary, have faced sanctions from Western governments over alleged corruption and politically motivated rulings.

In 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on Georgian judges, targeting figures such as Mikheil Chinchaladze, now chair of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, and Levan Murusidze, a member of the High Council of Justice. Both were also sanctioned by the United Kingdom for alleged serious corruption. Several others—including Constitutional Court judges—have faced sanctions from Baltic states, with further measures from the EU reportedly under consideration.

European officials have expressed growing concern over what they see as the judiciary’s role in enabling authoritarian consolidation in Georgia. “The justice system appears to be part of this repression machine,” said EU High Representative Kaja Kallas during a June 23 press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. She confirmed that the Council discussed imposing sanctions on judges directly involved in politically motivated cases.