Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder and director of the independent newspaper Batumelebi and the online outlet Netgazeti, was remanded in custody by Batumi City Court Judge Nino Sakhelashvili. Amaghlobeli, who was arrested on January 12, is facing criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a police officer. In a ruling that has sparked concern among her supporters, Judge Sakhelashvili rejected a bail request of 100,000 GEL [USD 35,340] put forward by her defense team, ordering her pre-trial detention.

Amaghlobeli is charged under Article 353 Prima of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which penalizes the assault of a police officer with a sentence ranging from four to seven years in prison. The charges stem from an alleged assault on Irakli Dgebuadze, the head of the Batumi City Division of the Adjara Police Department, which the prosecutor claimed was motivated by “revenge.” The court hearing in her case is scheduled for March 4.

The prosecutor raised concerns about the possibility of her committing a repeat offense and asked the court to deny bail and keep the prominent journalist in custody.

At the court hearing, Amaghlobeli took a defiant stance, holding up a copy of Maria Ressa’s book How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future, drawing a clear parallel of the book content to the repressive tactics of the Georgian Dream authorities.

International Criticism

Amaghlobeli’s arrest has been denounced by the local media community as an attack on free media and comes amid growing international concern over the erosion of civil liberties in Georgia. It has also drawn international criticism and concern.

The U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, chair of the Helsinki Commission, called for calling for Amaghlobeli’s immediate release. “Mzia Amaghlobeli and all of the political prisoners of the Ivanishvili regime must be immediately released!” Wilson stated in a tweet on January 13.

Amnesty International condemned the Georgian authorities’ use of newly enacted laws to suppress peaceful protest. The organization pointed to the incident on January 11-12, when Amaghlobeli was arrested for distributing a sticker calling for a nationwide strike—an act Amnesty described as “a symbolic act of dissent.” In a statement, the human rights watchdog warned that the laws passed in December 2024, which criminalize actions like posting protest stickers, represent a disturbing escalation in the government’s crackdown on free expression.

“The Georgian authorities’ use of draconian legislation to suppress peaceful dissent marks a disturbing escalation in their crackdown on human rights,” Amnesty International said. “These measures are being deliberately wielded to target journalists, human rights defenders, and political activists.”

Women in Journalism, an advocacy group supporting women and LGBTQI journalists, also voiced strong disapproval of the targeting of Amaghlobeli. Describing her detention as “a blatant attack on press freedom,” the organization highlighted the broader climate of hostility faced by female journalists in Georgia. “Since protests began in November, dozens of women journalists have faced harassment and police violence,” the group noted. “Amaghlobeli and her colleagues have been on the ground documenting unjust detentions by authorities in Batumi. We demand the charges against her be dropped and an end to the persecution of independent journalists in Georgia.”

The European Union’s Lead Spokesperson for Foreign and Security Policy, Anitta Hipper, wrote: “The EU deplores repression against peaceful protesters this weekend in Batumi and Tbilisi, including arrests of journalists and activists. Those unjustly detained must be released. There must be consequences for officials involved in these illegal actions.” This condemnation comes amid escalating tensions and growing international criticism of the Georgian government’s crackdown on dissent.

Source: civil.ge