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‘Seven years in prison is a dangerously disproportionate response to veteran journalist Mzia Amaglobeli’s altercation with a police officer. The Georgian authorities are clearly trying to make an example out of her as they continue to terrorize journalists, activists and critics who dare speak truth to power. She must be released at once’. Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.

24 January 2025: The Georgian authorities must urgently release veteran journalist Mzia Amaglobeli from pre-trial detention, PEN International and PEN Georgia said today. Amaglobeli faces up to seven-years in prison on grossly disproportionate charges of assaulting a police officer.

Prominent Georgian journalist, founder and director of the online newspapers Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Mzia Amaglobeli was first detained on 11 January 2025 on administrative charges after placing a sticker related to a planned strike at the entrance of a police station in Batumi, southwestern Georgia. At the time, no information was provided to her as to the grounds of her arrest, and she was released on bail the following day. While she was speaking to supporters outside the police station, police started detaining several of them, including two of her associates, resulting in an altercation between Amaglobeli and Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze, during which Amaglobeli is accused of slapping Dgebuadze. Police promptly arrested Amaglobeli under Article 353(1) of the Georgian Criminal Code (Assault on a police officer, a special penitentiary service employee, or other representative of the government or public institution), a charge that carries between four and seven years in prison. On 14 January, the Batumi City Court placed Amaglobeli in pre-trial detention and sent her to Rustavi Women’s Prison No.5, where she remained at the time of writing. According to Georgia’s Constitution, pre-trial detention as a preventive measure can be applied for up to nine months, though interim court reviews can reconsider it. A date for Amaglobeli’s review hearing has been set for 4 March.

While in custody, Amaglobeli reported ill-treatment by Dgebuadze, who stands accused of spitting in her face and denying her access to water and toilet facilities for an extended period. Her repeated requests to speak to her lawyers were initially denied. She reported her allegations to the Special Investigation Service (SIS), a body responsible for investigating crimes committed by officials, which confirmed on 20 January that it had initiated an investigation, following a national outcry. Before her arrest, Amaglobeli had no prior conflicts with the law. She was briefly detained in 2004 in connection with her journalistic work and promptly released without charge. Amaglobeli has been refusing food since 11 January in protest at her arrest. She is said to suffer health problems, which her continued detention and hunger strike may further exacerbate.

Journalists and activists across Georgia – including PEN Georgia – are mobilizing for Amaglobeli’s release. According to Transparency International Georgia, video footage of the incident shows the slap ‘lacked sufficient force to cause harm,’ and does not meet the threshold of seriousness required for charges under Georgia’s Criminal Code. Her arrest came against the backdrop of the Georgian authorities’ growing crackdown on dissent. As documented by PEN International and PEN Georgia, country-wide protests spurred over alleged rigged parliamentary elections continue to be violently dispersed by law enforcement officials, who stand accused of acts of torture and other ill-treatment against protesters. No one has been held accountable to date. Meanwhile, there are ongoing reports of reprisals faced by cultural workers who dared speak out against the government. In a letter sent to members of the UNESCO World Book Capital Network and seen by PEN International and PEN Georgia, Ninia Macharashvili, Director of Tbilisi – UNESCO World Book Capital 2021 and Nino Kiknadze, Deputy Director of Tbilisi – UNESCO World Book Capital 2021, reported being at risk of losing their roles on account of their dissenting views. PEN International and PEN Georgia urge the Georgian authorities to abide by their national and international obligations and to fully uphold the rights to expression and peaceful assembly.

Additional information

Born on 12 May 1975, Mzia Amaglobeli began her journalistic career in 2000 and co-founded the regional newspaper Batumelebi in Batumi with her friend Eter Turadze in 2001. Despite attempts by local authorities to suppress the publication by cancelling its registration, Amaglobeli and Turadze successfully re-registered the newspaper under the name Gazeti Batumelebi. Over the years, Amaglobeli has served as CEO, journalist, and editor, adapting to the turbulent political landscape in Georgia. The outlet now unites two independent award-winning online media organisations, Netgazeti.ge and Batumelebi.ge, which report on human rights violations in Georgia, as well as cases of corruption, exposing crimes committed by high-ranking government officials – attracting the ire of the authorities. A staunch activist, Amaghlobeli notably initiated a project called Bookmobile, which in 2021 and 2022 brought books to children and adults to numerous villages and hosted discussions with Georgian writers.

Note to editors:

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: [email protected]

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