A prominent Georgia journalist has been arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer. But she alleges police abuse and claims officers treated her roughly, which led to her contact with the police chief.
advertisementProminent Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli was formally charged with assaulting a police officer on Monday following her arrest over the weekend.
Amaglobeli, founder and director of respected Georgian media outlets ‘Batumelebi’ and ‘Netgazeti’, was charged by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia with assaulting Batumi city police chief Irakli Dgebuadze.
The charges stem from an incident in Batumi in which Amagloveli was arrested twice on the same day.
Amaglobeli’s first arrest came after police accused her of posting stickers calling for a national strike on an administrative building. She was briefly released, but was later re-arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, a charge that carries a penalty of four to seven years in prison.
Her detention sparked protests, with journalists in Tbilisi and Batumi calling for her immediate release. Amagloveli herself has alleged police abuse, claiming police treated her roughly when she was first released, which led to an accidental confrontation with the police chief.
Amagloveli’s supporters, colleagues and friends gathered overnight in Tblisi and Batumi to demand her freedom.
A large-scale protest took place Ongoing in Georgia For 47 days. This began after the ruling Georgian Dream party announced that it would temporarily suspend negotiations with the European Union (EU).
Citizens across Georgia continue to call for new parliamentary elections and the release of prisoners arrested during protests.
