Hicham El Bouhmidi

Affiliated media: Freelance photographer

Incident date: August 2, 2025

Attack type:

• Ban on entering the country, denial or revocation of a visa / accreditation

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: OC Media

Location: Georgia, Sadakhlo

Additional information:

Photographer Hicham El Bouhmidi, a member of photojournalism agency Collectif DR, was denied entry to Georgia, where he has been based since October 2024. He was told he had to pay a GEL 5,000 fine for "artificially blocking the road", a sanction Georgian Dream government has been using to suppress protest and silence journalists as well. The photographer said he was aware of the risk of being denied entry as it is a frequent occurrence in the recent past, but he said he would try to appeal this decision and try to re-enter in the future.