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Front News Georgia
Batumi City Court has decided to keep Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder and director of online publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, in custody. The ruling was announced on April 28 by Judge Nino Sakhelashvili.
According to the judge, although the risk of evidence destruction no longer exists, the court determined that the threat of committing a new offense remains high due to the nature, severity, and specifics of the alleged crime. Sakhelashvili emphasized that the court is operating under the standard of minimal substantiation required at this stage.
Amaglobeli has been in detention for almost four months. She was initially arrested on January 11 under administrative charges, released, and then re-arrested on January 12 on criminal charges after allegedly slapping a police officer — an act that legal experts have criticized as politically motivated given the circumstances.
The detained journalist went on a hunger strike for 38 days following her arrest. On the 24th day of her strike, she was hospitalized and returned to prison only after ending the hunger strike.
During today’s hearing, Amaglobeli declared that if released, she would not commit any crime and would continue to support Georgia’s European integration and freedom of expression. However, Judge Sakhelashvili rejected the defense’s motion to release her, stating there was no risk of flight but an increased risk of a new offense.
At today’s session, Grigol Beselia, former head of the Adjara Police Department, testified that Amaglobeli was aggressive and verbally abusive toward officers during her arrest. Beselia also claimed that after Amaglobeli slapped Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze, he observed no visible injuries but said the slap was so loud that it caused the rally to disperse.
Amaglobeli faces charges under Article 353 of the Georgian Criminal Code for assaulting a police officer. She could be sentenced to four to seven years in prison if convicted.
The next hearing in Amaglobeli’s case is scheduled for May 8.
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