Georgian Journalist on Hunger Strike as Foreign Officials Call for Release

Fourteen European embassies in Georgia, along with several governments and non-governmental organizations, have called on Thursday for the immediate release of detained journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been on hunger strike for 20 days.

Amaglobeli, founder and director of the online outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, faces up to seven years in prison on charges of assaulting a police officer during protests earlier this month. She claims her detention is politically motivated.

“I will not accept the regime’s agenda,” she wrote in a prison letter published by Netgazeti on January 20. “Freedom is more valuable than life.”

The embassies condemned Amaglobeli’s arrest, calling it a “worrying example of the intimidation of journalists in Georgia, restricting media freedom and freedom of expression.” 

The EU delegation to Georgia and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the International Federation of Journalists, have also separately urged her immediate release, echoing demands from local and international human rights groups.

Manana Kveliashvili, a reporter for Batumelebi, told OCCRP that Amaglobeli’s arrest was a form of “punishment” for her work leading independent media outlets.

Journalists in Georgia have increasingly faced violence, harassment and obstructions while covering recent anti-government protests, which authorities have forcefully suppressed.

Amaglobeli was arrested twice on the night of January 11-12 outside the police headquarters in Batumi. Her lawyer, Giorgi Khimshiashvili, told OCCRP she was first detained for placing a protest sticker on a wall. After being released some two hours later she reapproached the arresting officer for information about her detention.

“Publicly available footage shows this discussion did not unfold as expected from a public official”, said Khimshiashvili, adding that Amaglobeli “was not provided with comprehensive information.”

A brief clip aired on Georgian TV showed Amaglobeli slapping the officer. Another video, published by Batumelebi later, captured police officers shouting degrading insults about her immediately after the altercation.

Following her second arrest, Amaglobeli was denied access to legal counsel for three hours, her lawyer said. During that time she alleges the arresting officer spat in her face and verbally abused her before being restrained by colleagues. 

Amaglobeli's lawyer acknowledged that the journalist did slap the officer, but emphasized that she was in a “highly emotional state” following her first arrest and had “gaps in her memory” from the incident.

He also criticized the severity of the charges, arguing that the reason she is being dealt with so harshly is due to her journalistic work. 

Concerns over Amaglobeli’s health continue to grow with her hunger strike, as well as over the legal basis of her pre-trial detention.