Amnesty International slams Georgia over jailing of media manager Mzia Amaglobeli

International human rights organisation Amnesty International has criticised the sentencing of Mzia Amaglobeli, founder and director of independent Georgian media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, calling the two-year prison term “disproportionate” and “politically motivated.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, condemned what he described as serious procedural violations and bias throughout the trial.

“Mzia Amaglobeli was subjected to multiple abuses by police - including verbal abuse, being spat on, physical harm, and later denied medical treatment. These abuses were acknowledged by police officers during the trial, yet impunity prevailed,” Krivosheev said.

He added that the court had failed to consider key arguments from the defence and did not adequately investigate credible allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement. “Amaglobeli must be granted a fair trial, and the violence she endured must be independently investigated and redressed to ensure justice,” Krivosheev stated.

The criticism comes as 24 diplomatic missions in Georgia have issued a joint statement condemning Amaglobeli’s sentencing as “disproportionate and politicised,” demanding her immediate release.

On 6 August, Batumi City Court Judge Nino Sakhelashvili found Amaglobeli guilty under Article 353(1) of Georgia’s criminal code - relating to violence or threats against a law enforcement officer - and sentenced her to two years in prison. The charge had initially been one of assaulting a police officer under a more serious statute that carries up to seven years in prison, but was later reclassified.

Amaglobeli’s lawyers have announced plans to appeal the verdict, with her lead attorney Maia Mtsariashvili denouncing the entire case as legally baseless.

“She was neither proven to have assaulted a police officer, nor was the lesser charge substantiated. This was not a verdict, but a punitive measure against a person who refuses to play by the regime’s rules,” Mtsariashvili said, accusing the judiciary of acting to preserve the system rather than deliver justice.