Judge Issues Second Fine Against Jailed Journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, June 19, 2025
On June 18, Judge Mariana Pomaeva of Batumi City Court fined Mzia Amaghlobeli, the imprisoned director of Batumelebi and Netgazeti media outlets, GEL 1,000 for placing a protest sticker on a police department outbuilding. Her legal team claims this is the second penalty for the same act.
Amaghlobeli, who is currently on trial for allegedly assaulting a police officer, had previously been fined in March for disobeying police. Her defence argues that the earlier charge was fabricated to cover up what they describe as an unlawful arrest in January.
The incident traces back to the night of January 11-12, when protests and arrests erupted in Batumi. Amaghlobeli was detained twice that night. She was first arrested after putting up a sticker in support of detainees. Following a brief release, she was arrested again on criminal charges for slapping police chief Irakli Dgebuadze during a confrontation.
In March, Judge Salikh Shainidze found her guilty of police disobedience under Article 173 of the Administrative Code and fined her GEL 2,000. The defence accused law enforcement of falsifying reports and submitting misleading video footage recorded long after the incident.
Later, in April, a separate administrative case was launched over the sticker under Article 150, which penalizes defacing municipal property. Unlike Article 173, this charge does not allow for detention, prompting claims that police escalated the situation by using a charge that permitted arrest.
Footage from the initial arrest features a voice believed to be Dgebuadze's, acknowledging that the arrest was under Article 150, raising further questions about the legitimacy of the earlier disobedience charge.
During a court hearing on June 9, journalist Jaba Ananidze testified that video used as evidence in the police disobedience case included him, despite the fact that he only arrived at the protest after Amaghlobeli had already been released. He stated he was in Turkey earlier that day and arrived in Batumi late that evening.
The defence also submitted a forensic analysis suggesting that the video evidence had been manipulated.
As criminal proceedings continue, the journalist faces a prison sentence of 4 to 7 years. Rights groups and press freedom advocates have criticized the case as an example of retaliatory action against independent media in Georgia.
