Safety of Journalists Platform issues alert over Georgian media founder arrest

The European Council’s Safety of Journalists Platform has issued an alert regarding the arrest of Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of Georgian media outlets Netgazeti and Batumelebi, under criminal charges.

The Safety of Journalists Platform is a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and prominent press freedom organizations. It serves as a mechanism for real-time monitoring and response to threats against journalists, focusing on serious risks to media freedom and journalist safety. Alerts are submitted by partner organizations, verified, and published to raise awareness and prompt swift action from national authorities. By making these cases public, the platform seeks to hold governments accountable and encourage them to fulfill their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights to protect freedom of expression.

In 2025, the platform issued four active alerts concerning journalist safety in Council of Europe member states: one in Ukraine and three in Georgia.

On January 21, the platform published its alert concerning Mzia Amaglobeli’s case. This follows earlier alerts related to an attack on Zviad Koridze, a veteran journalist and member of Transparency International Georgia, and the arrest of Guram Murvanidze, a cameraman for Batumelebi.

All three cases in Georgia have been classified as Level 1 alerts, representing the most severe and damaging media freedom violations.
The platform’s alerts underscore the increasing risks to journalists and media freedom in Georgia and highlight the urgent need for authorities to address these violations and safeguard freedom of expression.