Director of the Batumelebi Publishing Group Announces Hunger Strike
Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder and director of the independent critical online publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, who was arrested in Batumi, has announced a hunger strike. She is drinking only water, as reported by the human rights organization Young Lawyers Association.
Amaglobeli claims that the case brought against her is “the result of repressive, treacherous, violent processes against a person, speech and self-expression.” She wrote about this in a letter published by Netgazeti.
“Any citizen who wants to live in a democratic, fair, European society free from Russian influence can find himself in my situation.
Fight before it’s too late… Don’t allow Georgia to be isolated from the civilized world,” Amaglobeli writes from prison.
Earlier, the journalist complained to the Ombudsman’s representative about the cruel treatment after her arrest.
On the night of January 12, during a night protest, Amaglobeli was detained twice. The first time was when she was putting up stickers calling for a strike. She was released two hours later, and a few minutes later she was detained again. The director of independent media outlets is accused of attacking the chief of the Batumi police, Irakli Dgebuadze: it is reported that Amaglobeli slapped him. The corresponding article of the Criminal Code provides for 4 to 7 years of imprisonment. The court refused to release the journalist on bail until the end of the investigation.
Rallies demanding new elections have been taking place in Georgia since the end of October. They flared up with renewed vigor in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and other cities after the Georgian authorities announced the suspension of the country's European integration process until 2028. Today, a march in honor of Georgian-American friendship on the occasion of Trump's inauguration joined the protest in front of the parliament.
