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August 6, 2025 – Georgia –
Renowned Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, co-founder of the independent outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, has been sentenced to two years in prison by the Batumi City Court. The sentence follows her conviction for slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze during a protest earlier this year. Initially charged with the more severe crime of assault, carrying a penalty of up to seven years, the charge was reclassified just before sentencing to “resistance, threats or violence against a public order defender,” resulting in the two-year term.
Her sentence has triggered widespread condemnation from global press freedom organisations and foreign diplomatic entities. Reporters Without Borders denounced the prosecution as politically motivated, emphasising that a simple slap does not warrant such incarceration. Amnesty International raised serious concerns regarding procedural irregularities, the mishandling of her case, and alleged ill-treatment, including police abuse and denial of medical care while in custody.
Amaghlobeli spent seven months in pretrial detention, during which she endured a hunger strike. The night of her December arrest, she was detained twice: first for placing a protest sticker on a building, then again after slapping the police chief who had threatened and spat on her. Supporters have characterised the trial as an example of the Georgian Dream party’s erosion of democratic space under the guise of maintaining public order.
The verdict was announced amid courtroom demonstrations and global protests. Former President Salome Zurabishvili (now a vocal critic) called the ruling emblematic of a “dying authoritarian system.” Diplomatic missions from the EU, the UK, Canada, and others quickly issued a joint statement criticising the politically driven nature of the verdict and demanding her release.
This case stands as a stark warning of shrinking media freedoms in Georgia, where journalists covering civic unrest increasingly face criminalisation and repression.
References –
https://www.politico.eu/article/georgian-journalist-sentenced-prison-slapping-police-chief/
