Kobakhidze Addresses Imprisoned Journalist's Hunger Strike Amid Calls for Meeting
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, February 10, 2025
During his visit to Batumi, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed questions from reporters regarding imprisoned journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been on hunger strike for 29 days. He also commented on the statement by Eter Turadze, editor of Batumelebi, who expressed readiness to meet with him over the case.
This comes after Kobakhidze had previously stated on January 29 that he was open to discussions on Amaglobeli's case, saying: "If anyone wants to discuss any issue publicly or privately, specifically the issue of Mzia Amaglobeli, come and see me, I am ready to meet tomorrow and discuss this issue."
At a rally near the Government Chancellery, Turadze emphasized that Amaglobeli's hunger strike is not aimed at securing her release due to her profession but because of what they consider an unjust imprisonment. "We are demanding her release because she is an unlawful prisoner. We are saying that Article 353 Prima of the Criminal Code brought against Mzia Amaglobeli is inadequate," she stated.
Kobakhidze, however, underscored what he saw as a lack of remorse in the case, pointing to the alleged assault on a police officer. "The main problem here is that we don't see any remorse. A police officer was punched in the face, and there is zero remorse in this regard, neither from the accused nor from her colleagues. This is extremely disturbing," he said.
Regarding the possibility of a meeting, Kobakhidze noted that he had expected some expression of regret from those seeking discussions. "If someone were to express regret, of course, that would be very important, it would be an expression of respect for the state. But when you see that not only do they not express remorse for a specific violation of the law, but on the contrary, they are trying to encourage such violations, this is completely unacceptable," he stated.
The case continues to draw attention, with supporters of Amaglobeli arguing that her detention is politically motivated, while government officials maintain that the charges are legally justified.
