Today, on August 4, at the Batumi City Court, before Mzia Amaglobeli delivered her final statement, her lawyer, Maia Mtsariashvili, submitted the latest results of a medical examination concerning Mzia Amaglobeli’s eyesight.
“I would like to submit this as a notice to the court.
This is the most recent eye examination from the past few days. As you will see, her vision has further deteriorated. She now has keratoconus in both eyes. In one eye, her vision is practically lost, and in the other, even with corrective glasses, improvement is only possible up to about 30%,” said Maia Mtsariashvili.
Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been unlawfully jailed for 205 days, has suffered a significant deterioration in her eyesight while in detention
Back on June 23, during a hearing at the Batumi City Court, it was revealed that Mzia Amaglobeli had nearly completely lost vision in one eye, while her vision in the other had decreased to around 10% – correctable up to 40%.
The relevant examinations showing the decrease were conducted at the Vivamedi clinic on February 4 and 6, after her imprisonment. In late July she went under another examination which showed the latest results announced today.
On August 4, the trial concluded, but the verdict announcement was postponed to August 6 at 14:00.
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.
