Statement by Journalists, Editors, and Media Managers on Arrest of Amaghlobeli and Deteriorating Media Environment
The statement signed by more than 300 representatives of media community in Georgia said that Mzia Amaghlobeli, the founder and manager of online publications “Batumelebi” and “Netgazeti,” arrested and jailed by authorities, is the first female journalist prisoner of conscience in Georgia. The journalists, editors and media managers say that her arrest on criminal charges shows “that the oligarch’s regime has entered a new phase in its persecution of critical journalists” and demand her immediate release.
The statement issued on January 27, reads that Amaghlobeli “is being punished by the regime of oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who earned his billions in Russia, for her impartial journalism and exemplary civil activism. She did not commit the criminal offense she was charged with by Ivanishvili’s regime.”
The media representatives further stress that since her arrest on January 12 “every one of us faces the threat of arrest for our professional activities.”
They further give assess the media environment under the rule of Georgian Dream government, saying “it has sharply deteriorated in recent years”. The statement reads: “In addition to the threat to independent media organizations created by the “Russian style law on the transparency of foreign influence,” adopted in the summer of 2024, verbal abuse and physical violence against journalists by representatives of the authorities have become alarmingly frequent.”
Journalists add the the Russian-style repressions against journalists have started in the country and recall that more than 90 instances of violence against journalists by the regime’s special forces and police were recorded during the coverage of pro-European protests in November and December 2024.
They stress that that “none of these incidents have been investigated or prosecuted by the Georgian Dream investigative bodies, leaving the perpetrators unpunished.”
The statement notes that in 2024-2025, the oligarch’s regime arrested numerous journalists on administrative charges “only to release them after imposing fines or brief administrative detentions.” However, they note, “the fact that Mzia Amaghlobeli has been arrested on criminal charges demonstrates that the oligarch’s regime has entered a new phase in its persecution of critical journalists. This involves imprisoning journalists based on fabricated charges, as has occurred in recent years in Russia, Belarus, and neighboring Azerbaijan.”
Calling on the “immediate release of the prisoner of conscience, Mzia Amaghlobeli” the statement also urges the international organizations protecting journalists’ rights and diplomatic corps representatives “to raise their voices against the mass persecution of journalists by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s regime and to protect media representatives in Georgia.”
The protests actions demanding release of Amaghlobeli continue. On the same day, media representatives held a protest rally in front of the Prosecutor General’s Office in Georgia to demand the release of Mzia Amaghlobeli, whose health is in serious danger after a 16-day hunger strike, according to watchdogs and medical experts.
Also Read:
- 24/01/2025 – Press Freedom, Journalists, and Rights Organizations Demand Immediate Release of Amaghlobeli
- 24/01/2025 – Women Politicians Appeal to the International Community to Advocate for Mzia Amaghlobeli’s Release
- 21/01/2025 – Court Rejects Mzia Amaghlobeli’s Appeal, Keeps Journalist in Jail
- 19/01/2025- Watchdogs: Amaghlobeli Case Tells a Story of Persecution of Independent Press
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)