Will the free word survive?
By Mariam Komakhidze
Many of us frequently hear the saying that ‘the media is the fourth pillar of democracy.’ This expression seems like a distant dream in many countries. I often wonder what the world and my country would be like with a free media, with institutions that protect free speech instead of controlling it. At the same time, while this is easy to say, it is full of obstacles to implement. Many do not have the hope to oppose a system that blocks the freedom of thought. We may refuse to go against the regime because it is too dangerous to do so. However, when our freedom of speech is taken away, we are presented with a responsibility to protect it, not only for ourselves, but for future generations too.
Nowadays, conclusions drawn from endless news searches state that the traditional Western media is active, that there are many articles, and that opinions are numerous. However, in the orderly chaos, silence is heard – the silence of those who cannot speak out. You will probably agree with me when I say that a spoken or a written word has at least once in your life liberated you in some kind of way, that it made you feel seen and heard. Not many people have that luxury. In many countries, the bridge that connects people with other individuals, other views, and other societies has been broken. In places like Iran, the deprivation of the word is deliberate. Internet access is shut down and communication is severed – because those in power understand their force. Throughout history, various totalitarian regimes have maintained their power precisely through censorship and the suppression of a free press. Many systems have attempted to eliminate free speech, individual opinion, dissent, and diversity, resulting in battles with civil society and intellectuals. This happened because conversations built on words have the ability to unite people, and no regime has had the desire to do so. The word can connect individuals, enlighten minds, free people, cherish their power and turn their private thoughts and feelings into collective strength.
In my country, Georgia, many independent media outlets are being silenced, and this silence destroys what our freedom depends on. Georgian leaders silence critical voices by passing laws that make independent media financially impossible and legally dangerous. After the re-introduction and enforcement of the "Foreign Influence" law, the rigged elections, the postponement of relations with the European Union until 2028, people in Georgia took to the streets against the government to protest. The face of these anti-government protests in Georgia is also a defender of free speech – a prominent journalist. Mzia Amaglobeli showed direct opposition to a brutal and cruel regime and was sentenced to 2 years in prison. During the protests in Georgia, on the 12th of January 2025, Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested on charges of attacking a police officer after she slapped the chief of Batumi police, Irakli Dgebuadze, who was repeatedly verbally abusing and harassing her with obscene language. She unfortunately had to face an unfair and disproportionate punishment. Many international outlets have spoken about this incident, calling it “an unconstitutional and unlawful imprisonment”.
This incident breaks my heart and makes me wonder, is there any hope that will convince me that free speech can ever be protected? Can I see this hope in a place where journalists are silenced and deprived of their freedom? In this void of darkness and uncertainty, I remember Mzia Amaglobeli and her words: “I am on hunger strike; freedom is more valuable than life”. These words and her continuous actions shed a light on this matter. It made me realize that a truly free person can never be tied down and silenced by an unfair system of justice, because she will always reach others with her word; she will always show others how to triumph over the cruelty of depriving them of their own words. It is this word that will spread and start the fire. As long as the determination for freedom exists, there will be a word that expresses the spirit – through which it will reach another and awaken in them the desire to fight.
No one knows what will happen in the future, but one thing is certain – journalists will speak, stories will be written, people will have their say and most importantly, the freedom of speech will never cease to exist as people never obey an order that silences them. The word stood at the beginning of creation, and the freedom of the word will stand at the end of society as nothing meaningful can begin again without it.
