A protest is being held near the Batumi City Court, where the founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Mzia Amaghlobeli, was recently ordered to pre-trial detention.
Along with media representatives, politicians and human rights activists have also joined the protest.
They are protesting the continued detention of Amaghlobeli and demanding her release. At the rally, chants of “Russians” can be heard.
The participants of the protest say there was no basis for the use of pre-trial detention against Mzia Amaglhobeli, and claim this is actually not the judge’s independent decision, but a decision coming directly from Georgian Dream.
Mzia Amaghlobeli, the founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested on charges of attacking a police officer. She is being detained under Article 353 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to assault on a police officer. Amaghlobeli was initially detained under administrative law during a protest near the main police department in Batumi, but was released after about two hours. A few minutes after her release, she was detained again.
Image: IPN