**Journalists Launch Movement to Free Imprisoned Colleague**
In a bold move, journalists and editors from several Georgian media outlets are banding together to demand the release of Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of Batumelebi/Netgazeti. Amaghlobeli has been in pre-trial detention since January, facing a prison sentence of four to seven years.
**An Attack on Freedom of Speech**
Journalist Nino Zautashvili, who was recently dismissed from the Georgian Public Broadcaster, made the announcement during a joint broadcast aired late Tuesday on three opposition-leaning television stations – TV Pirveli, Formula, and Kavkasia. “We journalists, representatives of independent media, view her imprisonment as an attack on freedom of speech, an attempt to suppress, silence, and intimidate,” Zautashvili stated.
**A Prisoner of Conscience**
The movement aims to bring together those demanding Amaghlobeli’s immediate release. Zautashvili emphasized that Amaghlobeli has not committed a criminal offense and is being punished for her journalistic activities. “She is a prisoner of conscience,” Zautashvili said. The movement will use all local and international platforms to secure Amaghlobeli’s freedom.
**High-Profile Case**
Amaghlobeli was arrested on January 12 and charged with assaulting the chief of Batumi police, Irakli Dgebuadze. She faces four to seven years in prison under Article 353 Prima of the Criminal Code. The case has become one of the most high-profile legal proceedings in Georgia’s recent history.
**International Attention**
The case has drawn international attention, with Austrian MEP Lena Schilling and German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer attending Amaghlobeli’s most recent hearing on May 16. In addition to the criminal proceedings, the Ministry of Internal Affairs initiated an administrative case against Amaghlobeli on May 7 under Article 150 of Georgia’s Administrative Offenses Code.
**Amnesty International Weighs In**
Amnesty International has expressed concern over the treatment of women protesters in Georgia, and it is likely that they will also be monitoring this situation closely. The organization has highlighted cases where women have been targeted with gender-based violence during protests.
As the movement to free Mzia Amaghlobeli gains momentum, one thing is clear: the Georgian media and international community are watching this case closely, and any attempt to silence or intimidate journalists will not go unnoticed.
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