Mzia Amaghlobeli Remanded in Custody
The Batumi City Court today, March 4, remanded journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder and director of the online publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, in custody. The decision was met with a commotion in the courtroom. Amaghlobeli held a piece of paper with the words “Unjust Court” written on it.
Judge Viktor Metreveli did not accept the defense’s request to lift the remand.
Mzia Amaghlobeli was present in the courtroom today despite having been on hunger strike for 38 days until February 18, when she decided to end her protest.
The key development in today’s hearing was the prosecution’s new claim that Mzia Amaghlobeli had planned in advance “in communication with others” to “attack the police.” According to Amaghlobeli’s lawyer, Jumber Katamadze, a detective’s report dated February 15 was added to the case, claiming that Amaghlobeli had been “communicating” with some “unidentified persons” via her phone about an “attack. Citing this, the prosecutor requested access to and extraction of data from Amaghlobeli’s phone. The journalist’s lawyers urged the judge to reject the request, arguing that the prosecutor is allegedly seeking access to Amaghlobeli’s phone to extract sensitive and personal information.
The prosecution requested that Mzia Amaglobeli be remanded in custody, arguing that she was at risk of absconding, re-offending and destroying evidence.
The defense insisted there was not evidence to support the prosecution’s request and that the imprisonment is illegal and it exceeds any minimum standard. A slap with the left hand is not an assault on a police officer, the defense argued.
“I don’t think I’m guilty, I see myself as illegally imprisoned,” Amaghlobeli told the court at the beginning of the hearing, adding, “Fortunately, the dictatorship has not yet fully established itself in our country. I am confident that I, along with all prisoners of conscience, will succeed in proving our innocence.”
Her colleagues, journalists, human rights defenders, politicians, diplomats and supporters were gathered outside the court building from the beginning of today’s hearing.
The French ambassador to Georgia, Shéraz Gasri, the deputy head of mission at the German embassy in Georgia, Esther Wagner, and the head of political affairs at the Swedish embassy, Erik Malmberg, were among the diplomats who attended the hearing.
A day before the scheduled hearing, the German Foreign Ministry called for Amaghlobeli’s “immediate” release from prison.
On the same day, Lithuania and Estonia extended their visa sanctions against Georgian officials and included those involved in the Amaghlobeli case, including police officers, judges and prosecutors.
Hundreds of Georgian and international journalists, as well as foreign governments and the European Parliament, called for Amaghlobeli’s release.
Mzia Amaghlobeli was arrested on January 12 after slapping Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze in the face, which was classified as a criminal offense of “assaulting a police officer.” Following her arrest Amaghlobeli spent 38 days on hunger strike in protest. She ended the hunger strike on February 18 after multiple appeals from the journalistic community and civil society.
Amaghlobeli’s case is widely seen as political persecution and a general crackdown on the country’s independent press by the ruling Georgian Dream government.
Also Read:
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)