On November 19, pro-government media outlets (Imedi; Rustavi 2; PosTV) and news agencies (SULinfo; Marshalpress; NSP.ge; Leader; Rezonansi; Exclusive News) reported that, according to Freedom House data, Georgia ranks among the world’s top twenty and Europe’s top ten countries for internet freedom. According to their reporting, Georgia’s internet freedom is rated at 70 points, measured by the following criteria: obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights. Some media and analytical platforms, using identical wording, emphasize that “Georgia outranks countries such as Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Belarus.”
Pro-government media outlets cover Freedom House’s internet freedom index with identical texts, emphasizing that Georgia is ahead of many countries and ranks among the best. However, none of the articles mention the fact that the country’s score has worsened by 4 points compared to 2024. The report underscores deterioration in several areas and discusses recently adopted laws that have complicated the work of civil society organizations and the media; it also reviews a law that imposes up to 45 days of imprisonment for insulting public officials; and it mentions increased online harassment and attacks on digital media workers. Although the country remains in the “free” category, the report stresses that Georgia recorded the most significant decline among countries in this group.
- What the Freedom House report says about Internet Freedom
In 2025, Freedom House published its 15th annual report titled “Freedom on the Net.” The report analyzes internet freedom in 72 countries, representing 89% of global internet users. It covers the period from June 2024 to May 2025 and assesses obstacles to internet access, limits on online content, and violations of user rights using 21 indicators. Based on these indicators, formulated as questions, the study assigns each country a score within a 100-point system. Obstacles to access are rated up to 25 points, limits on content up to 35 points, and violations of user rights up to 40 points.
The report highlights key changes and data for each country. The level of internet freedom is ultimately determined by the total score and grouped into the following three categories:
Scores 70-100 = Free
Scores 69-40 = Partly Free
Scores 39-0 = Not Free (Restricted)
- What the Freedom House report says about Georgia
According to the report, Georgia has declined compared to the previous year and is now rated 70 points – 4 points lower than before. The country remains in the “free” category; however, it is noteworthy that 70 is the lowest possible score within that category (70–100).
As a result, Georgia moved to the last position among the 18 countries classified as “free,” that is, countries scoring between 70 and 100. In 2024, Georgia was ranked 16th; according to the 2025 report, it now ranks 18th.
Regarding obstacles to internet access, Georgia’s score in 2025 remained unchanged at 19/25.
However, the country’s score worsened in the categories of limits on content and violations of user rights – several of the indicator questions note that Georgia’s score decreased for specific reasons.
- Limits on Content Subsection
One of the questions used to assess the level of content restrictions in a country is formulated as follows: “Do journalists, commentators, and ordinary people practice self-censorship online?” Georgia’s score in this category decreased, which the report explains as follows: “The score declined from 4 to 3 due to increased pressure for self-censorship among LGBT+ people, journalists, and civil society organizations.”
Another indicator within the same category – one that concerns users’ ability to publish content online – also worsened, decreasing from 2 points to 1. The question is formulated as follows: “Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online?” The explanation for the decreased score states: “The score declined from 2 to 1 because a series of laws that took effect during the coverage period made it increasingly difficult for online media outlets and civil society organizations to operate.”
- Violations of User Rights Subsection
Compared to the previous year, changes are also observed in the user rights violations category, where Georgia lost 2 points and now has a total of 25 out of 40.
One of the questions in which Georgia’s score worsened is: “Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards?” Georgia’s score is 2 out of 4, which is 1 point lower than last year. The explanation reads: “The score declined from 3 to 2 because of February 2025 amendments to the code of administrative offenses that stipulated punishments of up to 60 days in administrative detention for insulting law enforcement officials and up to 45 days for insulting government officials.”
Screenshot from the Freedom House website
Georgia’s score is 3 instead of 4 for the following question: “Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities?” The explanation notes: “The score declined from 4 to 3 because of increased online harassment and physical attacks against digital media workers during the coverage period.”
Freedom House points out that among the 18 countries with high levels of internet freedom, half experienced score declines during the assessment period. The report states: “People in Georgia experienced the most significant decline in the Free cohort, followed by Germany and the United States, as the ruling Georgian Dream party enacted repressive measures targeting civil society…”
Georgia is also mentioned in a chapter of the report titled “Pressure in Democracies.” This section states that the Georgian government continued its campaign against civil society after the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence” came into force in August 2024, requiring civil society organizations and online media outlets receiving foreign funding to register with the government. The report also notes that before the October 2024 elections, law enforcement conducted raids on two Atlantic Council researchers who had studied online influence operations. Additionally, it states that in February 2025 the Georgian parliament adopted amendments under which insulting a public official online can lead to up to 45 days of imprisonment.
At the end of the report, there is a section on the “fragile gains” in internet freedom, highlighting countries where the largest gains have also proven to be most fragile. This section emphasizes that conditions for internet freedom improved in Georgia alongside the democratic changes of 2012-2013; “more recently, however, the Georgian government has sought to centralize power and crush dissent.”
Pro-government media frequently covers international studies and indices manipulatively. Myth Detector has fact-checked similar cases many times in the past. Read more in the following articles:
- Is Georgia Ahead of EU Countries in Terms of Media Freedom and Democracy Index?
- V-Dem Index on Civil Society Disseminated Without Context
- What Details Should Be Considered when Discussing the Reduction of Absolute Poverty Rates?
- How Do Representatives of The Ruling Party Manipulate World Bank Data?
- Is Georgia Ahead of Seven EU Countries and Eleven NATO Countries in Terms of Rule of Law?
- Is the “Good Government Index” Being Prepared at the Request of the European Commission, and What Does It Reveal About Georgia?
- Freedom in the World: What the Freedom House Report Says and How Pro-Government Media Covered It
