NGO GYLA to take Mzia Amaglobeli case to Strasbourg Court

Following the court’s decision on Tuesday to fine media manager Mzia Amaglobeli 2,000 GEL, Nona Kurdovanidze, chair of the NGO Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), announced that the case would be taken to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg.

“The system wants to convict Mzia without evidence,” Kurdovanidze stated on Facebook, responding to the latest ruling against the detained media manager.

On March 13, Judge Salikh Shainidze had initially noted that no additional witnesses were needed, including Batumi’s police chief, as the presented evidence already indicated that Amaghlobeli had not verbally insulted the police and that the officer listed in the official report was not the one who detained her. However, on March 18, Shainidze still found Amaglobeli guilty of an administrative offense and imposed a fine.

Kurdovanidze criticized the ruling, claiming that the judge initially created the impression of fairness by allowing witnesses and questioning police conduct but ultimately ruled in favor of the authorities.

“This case has no evidence proving Mzia committed any offense,” she said, accusing the Interior Ministry of falsifying arrest and violation reports. She also alleged that police officers gave false testimony and that video evidence was submitted two hours after Amaghlobeli’s administrative detention, making it irrelevant to justify her punishment.

Kurdovanidze emphasized that the case would be taken to the European Court of Human Rights, expressing confidence that Amaglobeli’s innocence would be proven.