Abusive ‘private’ lawsuits: Georgia’s government SLAPPs its critics
Georgian officials and those associated with them are increasingly using private lawsuits to conduct what critics claim are systemic public attacks on journalists and activists, and so silence their critics free from public scrutiny. In May 2024, an investigation by opposition-leaning TV channel Pirveli claimed that a business group owned by the father of Georgia’s current ruling party chair and former prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, had received a business contract that appeared aimed a