Council of Europe platform on journalist safety concerned over case of Mzia Amaglobeli
Council of Europe concerned about Amaglobeli case
On January 21, the Council of Europe platform on journalist safety expressed concern over the criminal detention of Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of Georgian outlets Netgazeti and Batumelebi. Amaglobeli was arrested on January 12 under the Criminal Code for slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze after repeated verbal insults directed at her.
The Journalist Safety Platform is a joint project of the Council of Europe and a network of prominent press freedom organizations. The platform monitors and responds to reports of serious threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists.
By publishing alerts on journalist persecution, the platform aims to encourage member states of the Council of Europe to uphold their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Cases involving threats to journalist safety are flagged with red alerts on the platform.
In 2025, the Platform has flagged four red alerts concerning journalist safety in Council of Europe member states: one related to Ukraine and three to Georgia.
Before the case of Mzia Amaglobeli, the Platform had issued alerts regarding the attack on Zviad Koridze, head of the regional branch of Transparency International, and the arrest of Batumelebi cameraman Guram Murvanidze.
All three incidents in Georgia fall under the first-level alert, which highlights the most serious violations of media freedom. The second, lower-level alert applies to the situation in Ukraine and pertains to a draft law criminalizing the publication of “confidential information” from publicly accessible databases.
Case of Mzia Amaglobeli
On January 11–12, Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested twice. The first arrest occurred after the journalist displayed a banner at a protest calling for a general strike. She was released approximately an hour later.
Shortly after her release, police began detaining individuals who had gathered at the protest to support Amaglobeli, seemingly without cause. This led to a clash between demonstrators and law enforcement, during which Amaglobeli was arrested for a second time.
She was charged under the Criminal Code for slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze after he repeatedly insulted her.
For three hours after her arrest, Amaglobeli was denied access to a lawyer. She also reported mistreatment during detention to a representative of Georgia’s Ombudsman.
Council of Europe concerned about Amaglobeli case
