The embassies of 14 member countries of the Media Freedom Coalition have issued a joint statement on the case of Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of Netgazeti and Batumelebi.
The coalition members are extremely concerned about the situation of Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been on hunger strike for 20 days, and point to the statement of the Council of Europe Commissioner that Amaglobeli’s pre-trial detention is unjustified.
“This is another disturbing example of intimidation of journalists in Georgia, which restricts the freedom of the media and the right to expression. Mzia must be released immediately, and her case must be reviewed. We are concerned that not a single police officer has been suspended or held accountable after the systemic violence against protesters. We recall the statement of the Media Freedom Coalition of December 20 and call on the Georgian authorities to ensure the rights of those journalists who have experienced excessive force from the police while covering the protests in the course of their official duties,” the statement reads.
The statement is signed by the embassies of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested on January 12. On January 14, Batumi City Court Judge Nino Sakhelashvili remanded her in custody. Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani submitted an amicus curiae brief to the Kutaisi Court of Appeal on January 16, arguing that her detention was “unjustified.”
However, on January 21, the Kutaisi Court of Appeals rejected the appeal and kept the journalist in pre-trial detention.
On January 20, it became known that Amaglobeli had begun a hunger strike, which she continues to this day. Protests demanding her release have intensified, with journalists and activists calling for justice.
