Georgia’s Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of Imprisoned Journalist Mzia Amaglobeli

Georgia’s Supreme Court has refused to consider an appeal from imprisoned journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, effectively exhausting her remaining legal options within the country and prompting renewed criticism from press freedom advocates.

The ruling, issued on 4 March 2026, declined to admit Amaglobeli’s appeal for review, leaving in place a two-year prison sentence imposed by lower courts. The decision means that the verdict against the journalist is now final under Georgia’s domestic legal system.

Amaglobeli is the co-founder and director of the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, both known for investigative reporting and coverage of political developments in Georgia. She was arrested in January 2025 during protests in the coastal city of Batumi and later charged with assaulting a police officer after slapping the city’s police chief during a confrontation.

In August 2025, a Batumi court convicted her on a lesser charge of resisting a police officer and sentenced her to two years in prison. The Kutaisi Court of Appeals upheld the conviction in November 2025, prompting her lawyers to seek further review from the Supreme Court.

Amaglobeli’s legal team asked the Supreme Court to overturn the appellate ruling, acquit the journalist, and examine alleged procedural violations in the earlier proceedings. However, the court rejected the request without holding an oral hearing, concluding that the arguments did not warrant further review. As a result, the lower court judgments remain legally binding.

Press freedom organizations have strongly criticized the outcome. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the court’s refusal to hear the appeal represents a serious setback for independent media in Georgia and renewed calls for the journalist’s release. CPJ officials argued that the case sends a warning to journalists working in an increasingly restrictive media environment.

Rights groups and legal observers have also raised concerns about the fairness of the trial. An assessment by the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s TrialWatch initiative found multiple violations of international fair-trial standards, including restrictions on defense evidence and procedural irregularities during the proceedings.

With domestic legal remedies now exhausted, Amaglobeli’s lawyers say they will pursue the case at the European Court of Human Rights, seeking international review of her conviction and detention.

Press freedom advocates warn that the case illustrates a broader decline in media freedom in Georgia, where journalists and independent outlets have increasingly faced legal pressure and political hostility in recent years.

Reference –

https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/73318

https://cpj.org/2026/03/georgias-supreme-court-rejects-jailed-journalist-mzia-amaglobelis-appeal/amp/

Georgia’s Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of Journalist and Sakharov Prize Laureate Mzia Amaglobeli