The embassies of 14 member countries of the Media Freedom Coalition have issued a joint statement expressing serious concerns over the imprisonment of Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti. The statement was published on Platform X by the British Embassy in Georgia on Thursday.
According to the statement, the coalition members are alarmed by Amaglobeli’s ongoing hunger strike, which has now entered its 19th day since her arrest for assaulting a police officer during protests against halted EU integration.
The coalition called on Georgian authorities to uphold the rights of journalists, particularly those who have been subjected to excessive police force while covering protests in their official capacity.
“The members of the Media Freedom Coalition are extremely concerned about the situation of Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been on hunger strike for 19 days. As the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights noted, her pre-trial detention is unjustified. This is another disturbing example of the intimidation of journalists in Georgia, which restricts media freedom and the right to expression. Mzia must be released immediately, and her case must be reviewed,” the statement reads.
The embassies also expressed their concern over the lack of accountability for systemic police violence against protesters. “We are concerned that not a single police officer has been suspended or prosecuted after the systemic violence against protesters,” they noted.
The coalition recalled its previous statement from December 20, once again urging Georgian authorities to ensure the safety and rights of journalists who have suffered excessive police force while carrying out their duties.
The statement was signed by the embassies of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
