GYLA Slams “Ineffective” Probe into Alleged Police Abuse of Mzia Amaghlobeli
The human rights watchdog Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) says the investigation into alleged police abuse of Mzia Amaghlobeli, the detained journalist and director of Batumelebi/Netgazeti, is “ineffective”. The GYLA has also expressed concern that Amaghlobeli has not been granted victim status despite repeated requests.
The case stems from Amaghlobeli’s initial detention by Batumi police on January 12, during which she was allegedly subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment by Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze and other officers. The GYLA says that its appeals to the Special Investigation Service (SIS) to recognize her as a victim have gone unanswered, while the court appeal against the prosecutor’s inaction has been rejected.
GYLA notes that so far only subordinates of Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze have been questioned, raising concerns about possible bias, while the SIS has not heard from the public defender’s representative who met with Amaghlobeli in custody.
Citing further shortcomings – including the failure to examine surveillance footage, conduct forensic testing on Amaghlobeli’s clothing, or investigate the conditions of her detention – the GYLA concludes that “the SIS’s investigation is not effective, and the legal standard requiring a comprehensive and objective probe is being disregarded.”
Amaghlobeli was arrested again later that same night after slapping Irakli Dgebuadze in the face, an act she says came in response to police abuse. She now faces four to seven years in prison for what has been classified as an assault on a police officer.
The SIS, led by Karlo Katsitadze, sanctioned by Estonia and the UK, has faced scrutiny for its handling of protest-related abuse cases. A follow-up report submitted by three civil society organizations to the OSCE’s Vienna Mechanism described the agency’s investigations into protest-related violence as superficial.
Despite the Public Defender’s Office documenting 242 cases of alleged torture and ill-treatment of detainees during pro-EU protests, the SIS has granted victim status in only 85 instances.
Also Read:
- 17/03/2025 – Social Justice Center Submits Amicus Curiae Brief on Amaghlobeli Case to Batumi City Court
- 20/01/2025 – GYLA: Amaghlobeli Criminal Prosecution a Political Repression
- 16/01/2025 – Public Defender Tells Court Amaghlobeli’s Detention Unjustified
- 14/01/2025 – Batumi Court Sentences “Batumelebi” Founder Mzia Amaghlobeli to Pretrial Detention
- 12/01/2025 – Batumelebi/Netgazeti Director Investigated on Criminal Charges
This post is also available in: ქართული Русский