EU, Rights Groups Call for Release of Georgian Journalist Mzia Amaglobeli One Year After Sentencing
By Messenger Staff
Friday, August 7, 2026
The European Union and international press freedom groups called for the release of Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli on Wednesday, marking one year since she was sentenced to two years in prison in a case that has drawn criticism from rights organizations.
The EU Delegation to Georgia said it condemned what it described as a "disproportionate and politicised verdict" against Amaglobeli and called for her immediate release.
The Polish Embassy in Georgia also expressed concern over the sentence handed to Amaglobeli, the founder of independent media outlets Netgazeti and Batumelebi, saying the ruling was "disproportionate and politicized."
The International Press Institute (IPI) renewed its call for Amaglobeli's release, saying she had been imprisoned after more than 200 days of pretrial detention and what it described as a politicized trial. The organization said Amaglobeli, who received its World Press Freedom Hero award in 2025, was the first female journalist to be imprisoned in Georgia since independence.
The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA) said the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) had registered a fourth application filed on Amaglobeli's behalf. The complaint argues that her prosecution and conviction were politically motivated and that her right to a fair trial was violated at all three levels of Georgia's court system.
GYLA said the application was submitted on June 26 and registered by the Strasbourg court on July 3. The journalist is represented before the ECHR by GYLA and British barrister Edward Fitzgerald of Doughty Street Chambers.
The latest application is the fourth complaint filed with the ECHR on Amaglobeli's behalf. Previous cases concern her pretrial detention, administrative detention and alleged ill-treatment, as well as the investigation into those claims.
Amaglobeli, founder and co-director of Netgazeti and Batumelebi, was sentenced on Aug. 6, 2025, after being convicted in a case that has sparked criticism from international organizations over press freedom and judicial independence in Georgia.
