A Georgian judge sentenced journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli to two years for slapping a local police chief, after downgrading a charge that press freedom groups condemned as being “disproportionate and politically motivated.”
Amaghlobeli, founder of the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, arrived at Batumi City Court on Wednesday in a prison vehicle to chants of “Freedom to Mzia!” from supporters.
Within an hour, the court handed down the verdict to the veteran journalist: two years in prison.
Amaghlobeli initially faced up to seven years behind bars, but the lower sentence followed a last minute reclassification of the charge, Batumebeli reported.
She remained mostly silent throughout the trial, standing in protest—even through an eight-hour hearing last week.
At a hearing on August 4, Amaghlobeli told the court she did “not shirk responsibility,” but questioned the fairness of the investigation and the classification of the charges. She also accused state officials of “declaring me guilty.”
“This verdict will not only be my punishment,” Amaghlobeli said. “It will also be your punishment, dear prosecutors, and the professional punishment of everyone involved in this case on behalf of the state.”
Responding to Wednesday’s verdict, 24 diplomatic missions to Georgia—including Canada, the European Union, and the U.K.—issued a joint statement condemning the "disproportionate and politicized sentencing” and calling for Amaghlobeli’s release.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) separately announced that it was “horrified” by the verdict. In a statement, CPJ’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Gypsy Guillén Kaiser said that the sentence was “emblematic of Georgia’s increasing use of authoritarian tactics to strike fear into the independent media.”
Outside the court, some of the journalist’s supporters told OCCRP that public pressure had led to the downgraded charge, but still condemned the prosecution as unjust.
Speaking with OCCRP, Amaghlobeli’s lawyer Maia Mtsariashvili accused the government of running a “smear campaign” against her client. “This was their attempt, supposedly, to save face,” she added. “This is not justice.”
Tamta Mikeladze, the head of Social Justice Center, a Tbilisi-based human rights organization, said “internal and international pressure had an effect,” but criticized the verdict as “unfair and disproportionate.”
“Mzia Amaghlobeli must be released immediately,” said Batumelebi/Netgazeti’s editor-in-chief Eter Turadze.
Amaghlobeli was arrested in Batumi on the night of January 11-12, 2025, following a scuffle with a police officer during nationwide protests sparked by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to halt EU accession talks until 2028. She has been held in custody since.
In January, she went on hunger strike over her detention and alleged abuse in custody by the arresting officer.
“These outbursts of shouting and insults happened three times, each time more humiliating than the previous one,” Amaghlobeli told the court at the hearing Monday.
“During one of these, I felt him near and looked up and he spat in my face,” she continued. “Then that person told his colleagues not to give me water or let me go to the bathroom. I never thought I would publicly repeat how he said "Let her piss herself."”
In April, Georgia-based lawyers filed a case with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), challenging Amaghlobeli’s alleged mistreatment in custody and the grounds for her pre-trial detention. The ECHR communicated the case to Georgian authorities in late June, and a ruling is pending.Â
Media advocacy groups have also raised concerns about Amaghlobeli’s deteriorating vision and what they describe as government-backed “smear campaigns” against her. During her trial, Georgian authorities froze the bank accounts of her media outlets Batumebeli and Netgazeti, citing tax arrears.
