Georgia’s Public Defender forms medical panel for jailed media manager

The Public Defender of Georgia has established a panel of medical experts to assess the adequacy of healthcare provided to imprisoned media manager Mzia Amaglobeli. The founder and director of the online publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti has been on a hunger strike for 26 days in protest against her imprisonment.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ombudsman’s Office announced that the medical team was formed with specialists nominated by Amaglobeli’s representatives. The panel will evaluate the timeliness and adequacy of medical services offered by the Penitentiary Service and its associated clinics.

The panel includes:

Elene Giorgadze – Specialist in endocrinology, nutrition, pediatric endocrinology, and public health;

Giorgi Gvilia – Expert in gastroenterology, cardiology, and internal diseases;

Giorgi Javrishvili – Ophthalmologist;

Alexander Tsiskaridze – Neurologist.

According to the statement, the team will soon visit Amaglobeli and review her medical records. Following their evaluation, they will submit a report with recommendations to the Public Defender, who will then determine further legal action.

While the Public Defender’s Office stressed that it does not intervene in
medical treatment, it pledged to inform the public within the legal framework concerning personal data protection.

Amaglobeli was sentenced to four to seven years in prison for allegedly slapping a police officer, a charge that her colleagues, human rights groups, and politicians in Georgia and abroad describe as politically motivated.

Initially detained on 11 January and released shortly after, Amaglobeli was re-arrested the next day under criminal charges. Her legal team argues that the circumstances surrounding her detention indicate political persecution.

On 30 January, the embassies of 14 member states of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) issued a joint statement calling for Amaglobeli’s release. Their appeal has been echoed by international human rights organizations, Georgian journalists, and opposition politicians, who have urged the ruling Georgian Dream party to reconsider her detention.

On 4 February, Amaglobeli was transferred to the Vivamed clinic for medical examinations but expressed her intention to return to prison upon their completion.

Her continued detention has intensified concerns over press freedom and human rights in Georgia, with growing calls from both local and international actors for her immediate release.