Lawyer warns guilty verdict against media manager Amaghlobeli would be ‘unlawful’

A guilty verdict against media manager Mzia Amaghlobeli would represent an unlawful court decision, her defence lawyer has claimed, as the final hearing in her case takes place at Batumi City Court.

Kakhaber Tsereteli, Amaghlobeli’s lawyer, said that the charges - alleging assault on a police officer during January protests in Batumi against halted EU integration - were baseless and politically driven. “A guilty verdict under this charge would be legally unfounded,” he told reporters. “This is a case of investigative flaws, politically charged accusations, and a complete mischaracterisation of events.”

Amaghlobeli, founder of independent news platforms Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was initially detained on administrative charges during the night of 11–12 January, as protests unfolded in the city. She was released shortly after but re-arrested minutes later under criminal charges.

She faces prosecution under Article 353¹ of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which concerns violence against law enforcement officers - a charge that carries a prison sentence of four to seven years.

Tsereteli confirmed that plea discussions had taken place but said Amaghlobeli firmly rejected the idea of admitting guilt. “She will not acknowledge a charge for an offence she did not commit,” he said. “The evidence, reviewed over months of proceedings, simply does not support the prosecution’s claims.”

The high-profile trial has attracted widespread attention. Representatives of the EU Delegation to Georgia, and diplomats from the embassies of France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic were in attendance at the court hearing.

Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, also observed the proceedings, joined by the parents of other individuals detained during the January demonstrations.