Court orders Batumelebi and Netgazeti founder Amaghlobeli to remain in custody

The Batumi City Court has ordered Mzia Amaghlobeli, the manager and founder of media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, to remain in custody.

The court hearing lasted about eight hours.

At the hearing, a new allegation emerged from the prosecution, who claimed that Amaghlobeli had planned an ‘attack on a police officer’ in advance by ‘communicating with others’.

Amaghlobeli’s lawyer, Jumber Katamadze, stated at the hearing that the media manager’s case file included an investigator’s report dated 15 February, which reportedly stated that Amaghlobeli had spoken to ‘unidentified persons’ by phone about the attack.

On this basis, the prosecutor requested access to Amaghlobeli’s phone data. Amaghlobeli’s lawyers asked the judge not to grant this request on the grounds that the prosecutor was allegedly trying to gain access to Amaghlobeli’s phone to obtain sensitive and personal information.

Nonetheless, the court granted the prosecution’s motion, which was announced by Judge Viktor Metreveli, who was appointed 2.5 months ago.

Amaghlobeli’s colleagues, journalists, her supporters, human rights activists, politicians, and representatives of embassies were gathered inside and outside the courthouse. The French Ambassador to Georgia, Shéraz Gasri, also attended the court hearing.

An uproar in the courtroom followed the judge’s announcement, with protesters calling Metreveli a ‘bastard’ and also shouting ‘Shame!’, ‘Freedom for Mzia!’, ‘Russian slaves!’, ‘Slaves of Bidzina [Ivanishvili]!’

According to the Constitution of Georgia, the term of detention for someone accused of a crime shall not exceed nine months, pending an alternative decision by the court.

Amaghlobeli was first detained on 11 January for hanging a poster at a pro-European rally in Batumi, but was later released that same day.

Within several minutes of her release, she was detained again on charges of slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze and has been on hunger strike in protest against her detention since then.

The Prosecutor’s Office considered the slap an ‘attack on a police officer’ — a criminal offence which carries a prison sentence of four to seven years.

After her detention, Amaghlobeli began a hunger strike in protest, but ended it on 18 February after 38 days.

Detained Batumelebi and Netgazeti founder Mzia Amaghlobeli stops hunger strike

The media manager had been on hunger strike for 38 days in protest against her detention.

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In response to the judge’s question at the hearing, Amaghlobeli stated that she does not agree with the charges and considers herself an unlawful prisoner.

Batumelebi and other local media said that it was hard to hear Amaghlobeli’s voice, which the court claimed was a ‘technical issue’, but reported that she had said that ‘no, and no, I do not agree with the charges. I consider myself an unlawful prisoner’.

‘Fortunately, the dictatorship has finally failed to gain a foothold in our homeland. Therefore, I believe that I and the prisoners of conscience will be able to prove our innocence’.

After the verdict was announced, Amaghlobeli held a piece of paper with the inscription ‘unfair court’.

On Monday, the German Foreign Ministry called for Amaghlobeli’s ‘immediate’ release from detention.

GYLA says Batumi police chief insulted Batumelebi director following arrest

According to RFE/RL, Amaghlobeli’s sentence was brought to the Court of Appeals on Wednesday.

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The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association stated that Amaghlobeli is ‘demonstratively deprived by the Georgian judiciary of the right to defend herself and prove her innocence’.

‘The court fully satisfied the prosecution’s motion and removed 17 individuals, 18 pieces of video evidence, 13 inspection reports, and 14 pieces of written evidence from the list of witnesses to be examined by the defence’, the statement said.

‘By this action, the court left Mzia Amaghlobeli without exercising her right to defence and did not even procedurally ensure her right to a fair trial. This court decision has no precedent in Georgian justice’.

Georgians throughout the country have been protesting for almost 100 days against the government’s policies and the announcement the ruling party would halt the country’s EU accession process. The political crisis followed October’s parliamentary elections, which according to official results, gave Georgian Dream a large majority, with 54% of the vote.

Human rights activists in Georgia have suggested that more than 400 people could have been detained during pro-EU demonstrations against the government in November and December — a large number of whom claim that they were subjected to physical or psychological abuse by law enforcement officers.

Opinion | Mzia Amaghlobeli is a political prisoner

The authorities in Georgia go to extreme lengths to pursue opponents of the government, while giving tacit approval to those who attack such opponents.

OC MediaMariam Nikuradze