Georgian arrested media manager to be transferred back to prison

The founder and director of online publications Netgazeti and Batumelebi, Mzia Amaglobeli, is set to be transferred from the Vivamedi Tbilisi clinic back to a penitentiary facility on Wednesday, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), a non-governmental organisation defending her rights, has announced.

Amaglobeli, who was arrested last month, had been undergoing medical care at the clinic after staging a prolonged hunger strike in protest against her detention. She requested to be returned to prison to participate in her upcoming trial, scheduled for March 4 at Batumi City Court, in the country’s west.

Zurab Chkhaidze, the clinical director of the Vivamedi clinic, told the media Amaglobeli’s recovery process was following standard medical protocols. She ended her hunger strike on February 18, after 38 days, and has since been undergoing nutritional rehabilitation with the assistance of medical professionals.

Amaglobeli was initially detained on January 11 by Batumi police for pasting a sticker, during protests against halted EU integration. The following day, she was re-arrested under criminal law, a move her lawyers argue was legally unjustified and politically motivated. She faces a prison sentence of four to seven years after being accused of slapping a police officer.

Human rights organisations, opposition politicians, and international bodies, including the European Union and several foreign governments, consider Amaglobeli a prisoner of conscience. Her colleagues and supporters argue that the charges against her are disproportionate and politically driven.