Media manager Amaglobeli’s condition “stable” amid hunger strike

Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the Batumelebi and Netgazeti media outlets, remains in stable condition as doctors continue to monitor her health at the Vivamed clinic in Tbilisi, according to the clinic’s clinical director, Zurab Chkhaidze.

Chkhaidze said Amaglobeli’s health status was unchanged, and she remained under medical supervision.

Chkhaidze also addressed claims made by Amaglobeli’s lawyer, Maia Mtsariashvili, who alleged that her client was not weighed at the clinic and was not undergoing weight control. Chkhaidze refuted this, calling it false but did not disclose how much weight Amaglobeli had lost during her 34-day hunger strike.

“Of course, she is undergoing weight control. Maia Mtsariashvili should clarify and make her statements accordingly,” Chkhaidze said.

Amaglobeli was initially transferred to Vivamed from a penitentiary facility for medical examinations. She has been on hunger strike for over a month.

The journalist is currently detained under Article 353 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which pertains to assaulting a police officer. Her arrest followed an incident in which she slapped Batumi’s local police chief, Irakli Dgebuadze, during a protest outside the city’s main police department, against halted EU integration.

Her case has drawn public and media attention, with concerns raised over her health and the broader implications for press freedom in Georgia.