For Georgia opposition leader, ex-PM Gakharia calls sentencing of media manager Amaglobeli ‘moral collapse’ of Gov’t

Giorgi Gakharia, former Prime Minister of Georgia and current leader of the opposition party For Georgia, has criticised the sentencing of journalist and media executive Mzia Amaglobeli, calling it a sign that the government had “passed judgment on itself.”

Amaghlobeli, founder and director of the independent news outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison by the Batumi City Court in western Georgia. She had initially been charged under Article 353¹ of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which concerns assault on a police officer and carries a penalty of four to seven years’ imprisonment.

However, the court reclassified the charge to the less severe Article 353(1), which covers resistance, threat, or violence against a law enforcement officer or public official. The new charge still allowed for a prison sentence of up to five years, and Judge Nino Sakhelashvili sentenced Amaghlobeli to two years’ imprisonment.

In a social media post following the verdict, Gakharia condemned the ruling party Georgian Dream.

“The ruling party crossed political and legal red lines long ago. Today, it has gone beyond all moral and human boundaries and effectively passed judgment on itself.”

He added that Amaglobeli had become a symbol of defiance.

“Mzia Amaglobeli is a symbol of strength and dignity. In her, the regime was defeated where it matters most - in the fight for honour.”

Amaglobeli was arrested during anti-government protests in Batumi on the night of 11-12 January. She was initially detained under administrative charges, briefly released, and then re-arrested under criminal charges. Prosecutors alleged she had assaulted a Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze during the demonstrations – a claim she and her legal team have consistently denied.

Her lawyers argued that the revised charge was equally unfounded and politically motivated. They have pledged to appeal the conviction in the Court of Appeals.