The fifth President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, has responded on Facebook to the final court hearing of Mzia Amaglobeli, which will be held on August 1 at the Batumi City Court.
Salome Zourabichvili writes that this will be a decisive day.
Batumelebi offers Salome Zourabichvili’s Facebook post in full, without changes:
“August 1 will be forever recorded in this country’s history as a crossroads.
There will be Georgia before August 1, 2025, and Georgia after August 1.
How this day will be written into the pages of our country’s history — a country that has known so many heroes, patriots, saints, and children who have selflessly served it — will be the responsibility of every person who takes part in the final decision.
From one specific judge (no amount of money can wash away the disgrace to their name) to the red-cheeked police officer (who will certainly go down in history not with cheeks flushed from shame, but from disgrace — like a permanent stain left on the face), and every member of the ruling party, from Ivanishvili to Kobakhidze…
History is ruthless; only its judgment is immortal and irreversible! We still have a sliver of hope left — that some trace of humanity might awaken. But August 1 will give everyone their true and lasting name.
This day concerns everyone; it will serve as a moment of reckoning for all: you are either on the side of justice, or on the side of a fabricated case and total injustice.
Here, false accusations won’t hold up:
You cannot label Mzia as a supporter of the opposition, a revolutionary, or someone’s agent! And those who watch how this one woman is being tortured for nothing (though defending one’s dignity is not ‘nothing’), can either see and hear what is being done to the people and the country — or they are blind and deaf, and will remain so, continuing to close their eyes until it touches them personally… by then, it will be too late — far too late.
As for us, those who stand with Mzia today, we are fighting for justice and standing on the side of Georgia’s honourable past and future. We are proud to stand beside such a strong and righteous woman!”
– writes Salome Zourabichvili.
What You Need to Know
Mzia Amaglobeli is the co-founder and director of the media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti. She has been unlawfully imprisoned for almost seven months, with the prosecution accusing her of attacking a police officer after slapping one.
According to leading human rights defenders, the act of slapping, which caused no harm, does not constitute assault and is not a criminal offense at all. Even the Supreme Court has established that a slap does not qualify as an attack.
Leading global press freedom organizations have rallied around Mzia Amaglobeli’s case. Representatives from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) visited the women’s prison colony in Rustavi on July 13 to show their solidarity with Mzia Amaglobeli. They also attended the court hearing in Batumi on July 14.
The European Parliament’s resolution includes a demand for the “immediate and unconditional release of Mzia Amaglobeli and the dropping of all politically motivated charges against her.” The resolution also expresses “deep concern over the critical deterioration of her vision while in custody” and calls for her immediate access to reliable medical care.
Mzia Amaglobeli’s case is currently under review by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
