Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday criticized Germany’s call for the immediate release of Mzia Amaglobeli, a prominent journalist and founder of the online media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti.
Amaglobeli was detained on 11 January following an altercation with a police officer in Batumi and now faces charges that could lead to a seven-year prison sentence.
Responding to the German Federal Foreign Office’s recent statement advocating for Amaglobeli’s release, Kobakhidze accused Germany of “blatant interference” in Georgia’s judicial independence. He expressed his dismay, claiming, “we simply cannot recognize Germany; it is absolutely impossible to recognize Germany. This is a state where the idea of a legal state has developed exceptionally well, and today this idea has been trampled underfoot by German bureaucrats from beginning to end.”
Kobakhidze further alleged that German politicians and the EU ambassador had previously interfered in Georgian elections and are now encroaching upon the country’s judicial processes. He “lamented this shift”, especially given his own legal education in Germany, saying, “I received my legal education in Germany, and when I was studying there just twenty years ago, I was taught something completely different, and today German bureaucrats act completely differently.”
When questioned about potential changes under Germany’s new Chancellor, Kobakhidze expressed hope, contingent upon the Chancellor’s independence from influences like the “Deep State” and the “Global War Party.” He remarked, “If the new chancellor is independent of the influences of the ‘Deep State’ and the ‘Global War Party,’ in this case there will be changes, although it will be difficult for us to say anything in advance; let’s see how events develop.”
