Mzia Amaghlobeli Sentenced to Two Years Following Reclassified Charges
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Mzia Amaghlobeli, co-founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, has been sentenced to two years in prison by the Batumi City Court after the charges against her were reclassified from assault on a police officer to a lesser offense of resisting or threatening an official.
Judge Nino Sakhelashvili delivered the verdict on August 6, following three days of final hearings attended by supporters, journalists, politicians, and 5th President Salome Zourabichvili.
Amaghlobeli had spent seven months in pre-trial detention after slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze during a tense standoff on the night of January 11. She was initially charged under Article 353 prima of the Criminal Code, a charge that carries a prison term of four to seven years. On the day of sentencing, the charge was changed to Article 353, part 1, which allows for a prison term of two to six years or alternative penalties such as fines or house arrest.
In court, Amaghlobeli maintained her innocence and rejected the prosecution's proposed plea deal, which would have required her to admit to assault.
"I won't and can't sign this plea deal for the simple reason that what happened was not an attack," Amaghlobeli said during an earlier hearing. "Portraying a slap as an attack is evil."
Salome Zourabichvili criticized the ruling and the broader handling of the case.
"The regime is paralyzed - too cowardly to free Mzia Amaghlobeli, too weak to convict her," Zourabichvili posted on social media after the verdict. "Her strength exposed their fear. This isn't justice. It's a dying authoritarian system."
Amaghlobeli's lawyer, Maia Mtsariashvili, described the case as emblematic of abuse of power.
"This case will be talked about by generations. It reflects how the government distorts justice, how victims are portrayed as aggressors," she told the court.
Amaghlobeli's legal team has accused the authorities of using the justice system to punish her for her journalism and activism. They say the case was built on exaggerated charges, false testimony from police witnesses, and efforts to discredit her with unrelated claims. Requests to summon witnesses, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, were denied.
The journalist was held in Rustavi's penitentiary facility, six hours from Batumi, where the trial took place. She went on a hunger strike after her arrest and remained in deteriorating health throughout her detention. Her legal team reported worsening eyesight and insufficient medical care.
During the trial, Amaghlobeli described being mistreated in custody. She accused Dgebuadze of verbal and physical threats, spitting in her face, and preventing her from using the bathroom or drinking water. A government forensic expert testified that there was no visible injury to Dgebuadze's face.
The court refused to hear multiple defense witnesses and admitted little of the defense's evidence. Meanwhile, Amaghlobeli was fined twice for the same act of putting up a protest sticker on police property, which her lawyers said was part of a fabricated administrative case used to justify her initial detention.
The Clooney Foundation for Justice's TrialWatch program monitored the proceedings and flagged several concerns, including prosecutorial pressure, reputational attacks, and a lack of evidence that the slap constituted violent resistance.
The European Parliament has called for Amaghlobeli's release, and the European Court of Human Rights is now reviewing an appeal in the case. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association says the ECHR may classify it as an "impact case," which could lead to changes in human rights law.
Amaghlobeli, originally from the Adjara region, has been a prominent figure in Georgian journalism since 2001. Her outlets, Batumelebi and Netgazeti, are known for independent reporting on politics, corruption, and social issues.
Critics of the government point to her sentencing as part of a broader trend of selective justice. While activists and journalists face severe penalties, police officers implicated in protest-related violence have largely escaped accountability.
Amaghlobeli told the court during her final statement: "Whatever decision you make today, I want you to know that I consider myself a winner."
