The Kutaisi Court of Appeals has upheld the first-instance court’s decision sentencing Mzia Amaglobeli – founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti – to two years in prison.
At the hearing, Amaglobeli’s lawyers asked the court to overturn the verdict and release her, while the Prosecutor’s Office requested an even harsher sentence. Amaglobeli attended the session and addressed the judge, saying she is not afraid of imprisonment but of “what awaits outside — a country fighting for freedom or a country conquered without tanks.”
On August 6, Amaglobeli was convicted under Article 353, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which concerns resistance, threats or violence against a public order officer or other government representative. The offense carries penalties ranging from a fine or house arrest of up to two years to a prison sentence of two to six years.
With this ruling, the two-year prison sentence remains in force.
