Detained Georgian media director Mzia Amaglobeli remanded in custody pending investigation

Mzia Amaglobeli remanded in custody

A court in Georgia has remanded Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder and director of the popular publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, in custody pending trial. According to the judge, the decision was based on the risk of her committing another offense or attempting to flee.

Mzia Amaglobeli is accused of assaulting a police officer under Article 353, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which carries a penalty of four to seven years in prison.

The preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for March 4.

Mzia Amaglobeli arrived in the courtroom holding a copy of Filipino journalist Maria Ressa’s book How to Stand Up to a Dictator.

We must not tolerate this. JAMnews editorial statement on arrest of "Batumelebi" director Mzia Amaglobeli

For years, Batumelebi has reported on corruption, cronyism, and social injustice. This is now a fight not just for the freedom of one individual, but for the freedom of society as a whole.

Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested on January 12 during a protest in Batumi for slapping the head of the local police, Irakli Dgebuadze, who had repeatedly insulted her.

Amaglobeli told an ombudsman’s representative that officers were holding her hands too tightly at the time, and as she tried to pull her hand free, she accidentally struck the police officer.

The day before, on January 11, Amaglobeli had been detained for holding a sign calling for a general strike but was released an hour later.

Following her second arrest, Amaglobeli was denied access to a lawyer for three hours. She also informed the ombudsman’s representative that she was mistreated after her detention.