Over 300 Georgian Journalists Demand Release of Hunger‑Striking Colleague as IFJ Joins the Call

January 27, 2025 – Georgia – 

More than 300 journalists, editors, and media leaders across Georgia have issued a powerful joint statement demanding the immediate release of veteran journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti. Arrested on January 12, 2025, during mass protests over alleged election fraud in Batumi, Amaglobeli was charged with assault after slapping the city’s police chief following verbal abuse.

At the time of her arrest, she began a hunger strike protesting what media watchdogs describe as politically motivated detention. After 16 days on water alone—eventually lasting 38 days—her health deteriorated dangerously, prompting hospitalisation in mid-February.

Representatives from diplomatic missions and international press freedom bodies—including the International Press Institute and the Council of Europe—were urged by Georgian media to support her cause. On February 20, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) officially demanded her release, denouncing the case as part of a broader crackdown on independent media. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger stated, “We condemn the unprecedented crackdown on the media and urge Georgian authorities to stop targeting media workers and release all unjustly imprisoned journalists,”.

Her arrest, the first high-profile detention of a female journalist in Georgia recognized as a prisoner of conscience, is viewed as emblematic of a sharp deterioration in the country’s media environment. Following a controversial “foreign influence” law enacted in 2024, independent outlets have faced increased harassment, including verbal abuse, physical attacks, and legal intimidation.

International reaction intensified once her life was in jeopardy. Global figures—from EU diplomats to the OSCE—publicly called for her release. Inside Georgia, colleagues like Batumelebi’s Eter Turadze held solo protests outside parliament to demand justice.

Mzia Amaglobeli’s case resonates beyond her rights. It has galvanized both national and international solidarity, spotlighting the existential threat to press freedom in Georgia and adding pressure on the government to reverse what critics call a politically driven clampdown.

Reference – 

https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/georgia-ifj-urges-authorities-to-release-journalist-mzia-amaglobeli

https://jam-news.net/over-300-journalists-in-georgia-call-for-mzia-amaglobelis-release/