Detained media manager Amaglobeli losing eyesight in prison, lawyer

Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder and editor of Batumelebi and Netgazeti media outlets, is rapidly losing her eyesight while in pre-trial detention, her lawyer told Batumi City Court on Monday, as hearings continue in the criminal case against the journalist.

Amaglobeli, who was arrested in January on charges of assaulting a police officer, suffers from keratoconus - a degenerative eye condition. According to lawyer Maia Mtsariashvili, medical records show that since her arrest, Amaglobeli’s vision has significantly deteriorated, particularly in her right eye.

“At Vivamedi clinic on February 6, tests showed that vision in her right eye had dropped to 10% and could only be corrected to 40% with glasses - down from 90% before her arrest. In her left eye, she has just 0.04% vision, only enough to distinguish light from dark,” Mtsariashvili told the court.

Amaglobeli was initially arrested on administrative charges on 11 January and released the same day, but was rearrested on 12 January under criminal law for allegedly slapping a police officer. Her lawyers claimed the charge was politically motivated and did not reflect the facts of the case.

The journalist launched a hunger strike following her arrest, which lasted 38 days. She was hospitalised on the 24th day but was returned to prison shortly after ending the strike.

If convicted, Amaglobeli faces between four and seven years in prison.

Rights groups and media watchdogs have raised concerns over the case, warning of political pressure on independent journalists in Georgia and calling for urgent medical attention and a fair trial.