RSF: British Journalist Denied Entry to Georgia
British journalist Will Neal was denied entry into Georgia, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international media watchdog, said. Neal has lived in Georgia since 2022 and was returning from a trip to the United Kingdom and the European Union. RSF condemned the decision as “arbitrary” and “political,” calling for its reversal.
According to RSF, Neal became the target of a smear campaign in April 2024, after publishing an investigation detailing business ties between U.K. private equity group Hunnewell Partners and EU-sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, a close business associate of Bidzina Ivanishvili. Pro-government media outlets “sought to portray me as a ‘Soros agent’ of an ill-defined ‘deep state’ conspiracy against Georgia’s sovereignty and national interests among ‘radical’ elements of the country’s various opposition groups,” says Neal. He is reportedly stranded in Yerevan, Armenia, without access to his belongings in Tbilisi.
The incident follows a pattern of activists, journalists, human rights defenders, politicians, and foreign nationals being denied entry to Georgia. The incidents have multiplied amid the Georgian Dream government’s increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Western nationals and diplomats. In an unrelated incident, the EU diplomat was refouled from the Georgian border on May 21, with the government reportedly issuing an “oral apology” citing “a technical problem.”
Jeanne Cavelier, the head of the RSF Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk, said, “Will Neal’s case marks a new stage in the repression of foreign journalists in Georgia and clearly illustrates the authorities’ rejection of any independent journalistic scrutiny of power structures,” condemning the “politically motivated” ban. “British authorities must also hold the Georgian government accountable for this violation of one of the rights of a British citizen,” she added.
Also Read:
- 09/05/2025 – Belarusian Activist Denied Entry to Georgia
- 20/03/2025 – Lithuanian Rights Defender Denied Entry to Georgia
- 31/03/2025 – French Photojournalist Denied Entry to Georgia
- 23/10/2024 – Czech Journalist Denied Entry to Georgia
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