An independent Georgian news outlet has said its bank accounts have been frozen over a tax debt, raising concerns of politically motivated pressure as its founder stands trial for allegedly slapping a police officer during an anti-government protest.
A court in the Black Sea port city of Batumi heard evidence Monday in the case against Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of the local media organization Batumelebi/Netgazeti. The journalist faces up to seven years in prison for the alleged assault in January — charges she claims are in retaliation for her outlet’s critical reporting on the government.
On the afternoon of the hearing, Batumelebi/Netgazeti published a statement alleging that the Georgian tax authority had frozen its accounts on July 17 over a tax debt totalling 282,000 laris ($104,011), including the principal, accrued interest, and penalties.
According to the outlet, it had been paying down the debt in monthly installments until, earlier this month, the Revenue Service demanded full repayment within five days and then rejected requests to negotiate a new payment plan.
Speaking outside the Batumi court building, Batumelebi/Netgazeti’s editor-in-chief Eter Turadze told OCCRP that the authorities’ move was an “attempt to suppress [Amaghlobeli’s] resistance and to destroy her and the organization she created."
Turadze said the debt stemmed from a brief period of financial difficulty in 2021 and that the organization had been unable to cover what she described as “oppressive” tax penalties. She added that the account freeze came “with no warning whatsoever,” despite ongoing negotiations, and that officials refused repeated requests to resume paying in installments.
In her interview with OCCRP, Turadze also claimed that pro-government media outlets amass far larger tax debts but avoid similar action from the state.
Amnesty International criticized the move in a post on X, saying it came after Batumelebi/Netgazeti reported on “alleged police abuse against its founder Mzia Amaghlobeli, now arbitrarily detained and facing a trial marred by injustice.”
“Amnesty demands investigations into all allegations of police violence,” the post read.
Amaghlobeli told the Batumi court last week that she was verbally insulted, nearly beaten, and spat on by police after her arrest, according to RFE/RL. “Everyone in the police department was so focused on treating me inhumanely,” she reportedly testified on July 14.
On Monday, Georgia’s fifth president Salome Zourabichvili also criticized the account freeze in a post on X, calling the move a “clear act of punishment” and “targeted repression.”
International media advocacy groups monitoring the trial have condemned the journalist’s prosecution and voiced concerns about Amaghlobeli’s declining health in detention.
Following the court hearing last Monday, July 14, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute, and Reporters Without Borders, published joint statements describing the charges as “disproportionate and politicized,” and calling for her “immediate release.”Â
According to those statements, Amaghlobeli has developed vision problems after more than six months in pre-trial detention. She also went on hunger strike in the weeks following her arrest.
Police arrested Amaghlobeli during anti-government demonstrations in the city of Batumi on the night of January 11-12, 2025, part of nationwide protests sparked by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to halt EU accession talks until 2028.
Leading international human rights groups and some foreign governments have accused the Georgian authorities of leading a brutal crackdown on demonstrators and journalists covering the protests.Â
OCCRP contacted Georgia's Revenue Service for comment but received no response by publication.
