A Russian military appellate court has rejected the appeals of four Crimean Tatars—Nariman Ametov, Ali Mamutov, Vokhid Mustafayev, and Enver Khalilyayev—who were convicted of involvement with the organization ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir.’ The sentences handed down by the Southern District Military Court on May 21, 2026, remain unchanged. According to the TASS news agency, citing court sources, the individuals—part of what is known as the "third Dzhankoy group"—were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 15 years.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has included billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgia's ruling party, on its list of "Predators of Press Freedom 2025." The list also includes the leaders of Russia, Belarus, and China—Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, and Xi Jinping.
This list, marketed as a supplement to RSF's annual World Press Freedom Index, identifies individuals the organization believes actively undermine media freedom. Unlike the Index, which assesses the overall state of press freedom, the "Predator List" focuses on specific individuals and practices. Ivanishvili was categorized as someone who uses financial pressure to suppress the media.
Reporters Without Borders notes that Ivanishvili, along with others, restricts media activities and exerts arbitrary legal pressure on them.