Media manager Mzia Amaglobeli remains in clinic despite being officially discharged

Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, who has been in detention for over a month and a half, has been discharged from Vivamedi clinic but remains inside the facility. The information was shared by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), a human rights NGO representing Amaglobeli.

According to GYLA, she was supposed to be transferred back to a penitentiary facility since she is officially no longer a patient. However, her lawyers have not been informed why she is still being held at the clinic. Amaglobeli herself has demanded immediate transfer to prison and, in protest, has refused to eat.

Vivamedi’s clinical director, Zurab Chkhaidze, confirmed that Amaglobeli was officially discharged on February 26. “The area where penitentiary patients stay is entirely controlled by the authorities. She is no longer our patient,” he stated.

Amaglobeli was initially detained by Batumi police on January 11 for pasting a sticker. She was later re-arrested on January 12 on criminal charges, a move that legal experts argue is disproportionate and politically motivated. She faces a prison sentence of four to seven years for allegedly slapping a police officer.

From the moment of her arrest, Amaglobeli went on a hunger strike, which lasted until February 18—her 38th day of protest—when she resumed eating under medical supervision. She had previously been transferred to Vivamedi from Rustavi Women’s Prison No. 5 on the 24th day of her hunger strike due to deteriorating health.