
‘Friends of Georgia’ Hold Georgian Authorities Fully Responsible for Jailed Journalist’s Health, Demand Amaghlobeli’s Release
A group of politicians, MEPs and members of national parliaments said they are not fooled by the Georgian Dream leadership’s attempts “to distort the circumstances that led to Mzia Amaglobeli’s arrest” stressing that “any and all consequences on her health are the full responsibility of the current Georgian authorities.” They demand her immediate release, along with all other “political prisoners” detained during the pro-European demonstrations in Georgia.
The joint statement issued on February 4 expressed deep concern over the health conditions of Mzia Amaghlobeli, the director of Batumelebi/Netgazeti, who has been on hunger strike for 24 days. The undersigned expressed “extreme” concern by statements of GYLA and other CSOs “reporting that she has not received all necessary medical attention and is experiencing degrading treatment in captivity.”
The statement states that “the attempt by GD to tarnish her professional credibility by qualifying her as “foreign-funded” is yet another maneuver “intended to deflect attention from the massive mobilization of the Georgian population around the Euro-Atlantic path enshrined not only in its constitution but in the will of its people, both of which were betrayed by the Russian-backed oligarchic Georgian Dream party’s illegal power grab.”
The statement reaffirms unwavering support for President Salome Zurabishvili—whom it describes as the only legitimate institution in Georgia—as well as for independent media and civil society organizations. It calls on the ruling party to restore democratic order and return the country to its Euro-Atlantic path. The Friends of Georgia also call for the repeal of laws restricting freedom of assembly and the holding of new elections.
Western partners are also calling on EU member states to impose or maintain sanctions against key figures in the ruling Georgian Dream party, including Bidzina Ivanishvili, honorary chair and the patron of the GD, Irakli Kobakhidze, GD Prime Minister, Vakhtang Gomelauri, GD Minister of Internal Affairs and Sulkhan Tamazashvili, Director of the Tbilisi Police Department.
The signatories of the abovementioned statement include Pavel Fischer, Member of the Czech Senate; Radosław Fogiel, Member of the Polish Parliament and Deputy Chair of the Sejm Foreign Affairs Committee; Michael Gahler, Gustaf Göthberg, Bernard Guetta, Rasa Juknevičienė, Rihards Kols, Nathalie Loiseau, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Reinier van Lanschot, Viola von Cramon, Michał Wawrykiewicz, and Dainius Žalimas, all Members of the European Parliament (MEPs); Jukka Kopra, Member of the Finnish Parliament; Marko Mihkelson and Eerik-Niiles Kross, Members of the Estonian Parliament; Ināra Mūrniece, Member of the Latvian Parliament; Žygimantas Pavilionis, Member of the Lithuanian Parliament; Oleksandr Merezhko and Maria Mezentseva–Fedorenko, Members of the Ukrainian Parliament, with Mezentseva-Fedorenko also serving as Chair of the Ukrainian Delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly; Yevheniya Kravchuk, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament and Vice President of ALDE; Frédéric Petit, Member of the French Parliament for citizens living in Germany, Central Europe, and the Balkans; Lia Quartapelle, Member of the Italian Parliament; Michael Roth, Member of the German Parliament and Chair of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee; Katarina Tolgfors, Member of the Swedish Parliament; Tom Tugendhat, Member of the British Parliament; Ian Kelly, former U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE and former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia; Gerald Knaus, Founding Chair of the European Stability Initiative; David Kramer, Director of the George W. Bush Presidential Center; Randy Scheunemann, foreign policy analyst and President of Orion Strategies LLC; and Rep. Joe Wilson, Member of the U.S. Congress and Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission.
On February 3, Georgian Dream majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze dismissed concerns about Amaghlobeli’s hunger strike, saying, “As if she were a person who has done great heroism… [Amaghlobeli] has to start eating and everything will end.” His comments follow earlier reports by Batumelebi editor Eter Turadze, who revealed that attempts to communicate with GD parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili about Amaghlobeli’s deteriorating health had been ignored.
Also Read:
- 04/02/2025 – Testimonies of Police Brutality During Pro-European Rallies
- 03/02/2025 – GD Announces More Repressive Legislative Changes
- 27/01/2025 – GYLA: Amaghlobeli’s Life in Danger, Urgent Action Needed
- 30/01/2025 – GYLA Turns on Ombudsman Over Mzia Amaglobeli’s Health Amid International Outcry
- 14/01/2025 – Batumi Court Sentences “Batumelebi” Founder Mzia Amaghlobeli to Pretrial Detention
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