Foreign diplomats have called for the release of Mzia Amaglobeli.
On the anniversary of Mzia Amaglobeli's arrest, diplomatic missions from 23 countries and the European Union called the journalist's sentence politically motivated and called for her release.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on January 11, female politicians demonstrated outside the Rustavi prison to demand the release of Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the publications Netgazeti and Batumelebi. They unfurled banners reading "Mzia Amaglobeli a year in prison!", "Freedom for prisoners of conscience!", and others.
On the night of January 12, 2025, 10 people were detained in Batumi, including Mzia Amaglobeli. Amaglobeli was detained for posting a poster calling for a general strike on a wall. When Amaglobeli was released, she found herself in a stampede involving the city's police chief, Irakli Dgebuadze. According to a silent video published by the pro-government television channel Imedi, Amaglobeli, surrounded and held by police, said something to Dgebuadze, who responded and turned away. Amaglobeli sharply rebuked him and slapped him. After this, the journalist was detained again, according to the Caucasian Knot report "The Mzia Amaglobeli Case: Circumstances of the Arrest and the Campaign in Defense of the Journalist".
On the anniversary of Mzia Amaglobeli's detention, 24 diplomatic missions accredited in Tbilisi issued a joint statement calling for the journalist's release, Georgia Online reported today.
The statement was authored by the embassies of the European Union and 23 countries (Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom). They condemned the journalist's "disproportionate and politically motivated" sentence.
The diplomats noted that during her lengthy imprisonment, the journalist's health, in particular her vision, had significantly deteriorated.
Mzia Amaglobeli is deprived of the opportunity to undergo examination and receive treatment to preserve her vision, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association stated in late November 2025, calling on the Minister of Justice and the Ombudsman to intervene.
The diplomatic missions also stated that the criminal prosecution of Mzia Amaglobeli was an example of "growing intimidation of journalists in Georgia," which contravenes the country's international obligations to protect press freedom and freedom of expression, the publication states.
As a reminder, in August 2025, a court in Batumi sentenced Mzia Amaglobeli to two years in prison for slapping the city's police chief. Amaglobeli's charges were reduced in the final stages of the trial; the original charge carried a sentence of four to seven years in prison. The appellate court upheld the sentence. The defense appealed this decision.
In October 2025, Mzia Amaglobeli received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which is the European Union's highest award for human rights.
Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/419859
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