IPI demands ‘immediate release’ of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli on 100th day of detention

The International Press Institute (IPI) today marked the 100th day since the arrest of prominent Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli with a renewed call for her immediate release. The IPI statement reads that Amaglobeli, the founder and director of Netgazeti and Batumelebi, has become a symbol of press freedom in Georgia amid an intensifying government crackdown on independent media and civil society.

“Mzia’s arrest is a clear attempt by the ruling Georgian Dream party to silence critical voices, intimidate independent journalists, and dismantle what is left of the free press in the country,” the statement reads.

Arrested on January 11 during a wave of pro-democracy protests, Amaglobeli was charged with assaulting a police officer—a charge critics say is politically motivated and disproportionate, carrying a sentence of up to seven years in prison. The alleged incident occurred during an altercation with a police chief in Batumi.

In protest of her detention and broader repression, Mzia launched a hunger strike that lasted five weeks, ending on February 18 after doctors warned she was at risk of imminent organ failure. She remains in pre-trial detention, despite her deteriorating health and widespread calls for her release.

“Mzia faces a long rehabilitation to regain her health and must not be returned to prison,” IPI emphasized.

Amaglobeli has spent her career exposing corruption and abuse of power, earning a reputation as one of Georgia’s most respected and courageous journalists. IPI said her arrest underscores the increasingly hostile environment for media professionals in the country.

IPI and a broad coalition of journalists, newsrooms, press freedom organizations, and human rights defenders have signed a joint statement urging Georgian authorities to drop the charges, ensure an independent investigation into her treatment, and guarantee her safety.