Clooney Foundation to Monitor Mzia Amaghlobeli’s Trial
The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) announced today, March 18, that TrialWatch, which provides free legal aid in support of free speech around the world, intends to monitor the trial of Mzia Amaghlobeli, the jailed journalist and director of online media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti.
“The TrialWatch will produce a Fairness Report grading the case against international and regional fair trial standards after the end of Amaghlobeli’s trial,” the CFJ stated.
Amal and George Clooney’s Foundation provides free legal aid in defense of free speech and women’s rights in over 40 countries. Its work has led to dozens of journalists being set free and thousands of women receiving free legal support to defend their rights.
Today, March 18, the Batumi City Court began the substantive hearing of Amaghlobeli’s case. The hearing was postponed to March 31 after the defense filed a motion to include new evidence in the case.
Mzia Amaghlobeli was arrested on January 12 after slapping Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze in the face following reported police mistreatment against her. The slap 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, both in Georgia and abroad.
Her case is widely seen as political persecution of Georgia’s independent press by the ruling Georgian Dream government.
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