Hunger-striking journalist challenges Georgia's government from jail
Georgia's increasingly authoritarian government says she committed a serious criminal offence, but her pre-trial detention has turned her into a symbol of resistance."Today it is me, tomorrow it could be anyone who dares to dream of a just, democratic European Georgia, untouched by Russian influence, unshaken by oppression," Amaglobeli wrote in a letter from Rustavi prison, not far from the Georgian capital Tbilisi.The EU's human rights commissioner says her pre-trial detention for assaulting a police officer is unjustified.
Fourteen foreign embassies in Georgia have demanded Amaglobeli's immediate release and a review of her case, describing her detention as another worrying example of intimidation of journalists in Georgia.Mzia Amaglobeli was detained twice on 11 January in highly contentious circumstances, during a protest against the Georgian Dream government in the Black Sea port of Batumi.A video promoted repeatedly on state media shows her lightly slapping the Batumi police chief on the cheek.Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has condemned her actions."Everyone must understand that the police officer is inviolable, the police officer represents the state and the strength of the state," Kobakhidze told a press briefing.If found guilty of assault she faces between four and seven years in jail.
Amaglobeli is one of many hundreds of protesters to have been arrested across Georgia. Opposition leaders are among those who have been detained and in some cases injured by gangs of pro-government thugs.Photos of the journalist alongside calls for her release adorn the main protest sites in Tbilisi as well as her home city of Batumi.Her family, friends and colleagues describe her as a peaceful, calm and hard-working person who founded Batumi news website Batumelebi with her business partner Eter Turadze in 2001.They went on to launch national news website, Netgazeti, and today both sites are regarded as unbiased and trustworthy news sources in Georgia's deeply polarised media.Batumelebi's third-floor offices look on to the snow-capped Ajara mountains. The Georgian flag hangs from the balcony alongside the flags of the EU and Ukraine."Mzia is well known in journalistic circles, but she was not a public person," says civil rights activist Malkaz Chkonia, who has taken part in the nightly protests in Batumi."She was only 25 years old, a young brave journalist when she started the newspaper Batumelebi which has been fighting for freedom of expression, and defending human rights through different government regimes in this country."Her niece Iveta, who grew up with Mzia, describes her as a workaholic.On the night she was arrested, she was still at her office and most of her staff had gone home for the night.
Colleague and investigative journalist Irma Dimidtradze says her boss had not been taking part in the daily anti-government protests.But when Amaglobeli learned that a friend was among several protesters detained for putting up posters for an upcoming general strike, she rushed to the police station."People were chanting 'sticking up posters is not a crime', and to demonstrate that it is not a crime, Mzia did the same thing," says Dimitradze.Weeks earlier, as the protests took hold, the Georgian Dream government banned face masks at protests and increased fines for making "inscriptions or drawings" on building facades.Amaglobeli was captured on video attaching a poster to the wall of a police station before she was led away by several officers."We learned later in the police report that she disobeyed a lawful order of the police that she was swearing and insulting them," said Irma Dimitradze, adding that all of it was untrue.She was charged with an administrative offence and released. Her niece, Iveta, was with other relatives waiting for her: "When Mzia came out, I even joked with her saying: 'Look, if you wanted to rest, to have a day off, you did not need to do this.'"But soon the situation escalated, and more arrests followed.Amoglobeli was seen confronting Batumi police chief Irakli Dgeubadze. As he walked away, she grabbed him by his sleeve and slapped him.Footage taken minutes afterwards shows her being led away by police.Off camera, she is taunted with highly threatening and abusive language which witnesses have said is the voice of the chief of police.Amaglobeli's lawyers say he later spat in her face and refused to give her water or access to toilets. She was also denied access to her lawyers for several hours.Batumi prosecutors argued that her slap was motivated by "revenge". A judge rejected bail by her legal team and remanded her in pre-trial custody.
In the dock, Amaglobeli looked defiant, wearing in a blue hoody and holding a copy of the book by Nobel Prize-winner Maria Ressa, "How to Stand Up to a Dictator: the fight for our future."Twenty days into her hunger strike on 31 January, Georgia's Special Penitentiary Service urged Amaglobeli to stop "in the best interests of her health".Leading Georgian Dream figure in parliament Mamuka Mdinaradze said it was wrong to portray her as "a person who has committed great heroism… she should start eating and everything would be over".Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, another leading light in the party, suggested Amaglobeli could come out and admit "I made a mistake, and I apologise", as the Batumi was a dignified police officer.However, several groups have said it is the authorities who are in the wrong by detaining her in the first place. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association says her prosecution is "politically motivated".Since the beginning of the pro-EU protests, hundreds of protesters have been detained, beaten and treated inhumanely, according to Transparency International Georgia.More than 90 journalists have been violently attacked and their equipment damaged.No police officers have faced charges.Georgia's independent Special Investigations Service, which investigates allegations made against officials says it has launched an investigation into possible abuse of power in Amaghlobeli's case by "certain employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia".It says 10 police officers, including Batumi's police chief, have been questioned as witnesses. None have been suspended from duty.She is next due in court on 4 March.
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He said: 'Your indication of security guarantees, of some sort of article five-style guarantees, fits with what we've been doing with the coalition of the willing which we started some months ago, bringing countries together and showing that we were prepared to step up to the plate when it came to security. 'With you coming alongside, the US alongside, what we've already developed, I think we could take a really important step forward today – a historic step, actually, could come out of this meeting in terms of security for Ukraine and security in Europe.' 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Responding on X, Mr Zelensky said: 'This issue lies at the heart of the war's humanitarian tragedy – our children, broken families, the pain of separation. At least 20,000 children were taken. 'We are working tirelessly to bring every child home. The same applies for our prisoners of war and civilians held in Russia for years, some since 2014, in very bad conditions. Thousands of people still need to be freed – and this is a part of making peace. 'We will work to negotiate all-for-all prisoners of war exchange, and we are grateful to have strong friends who help.' Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump greeted at the door of the West Wing with a handshake earlier in the evening, wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House. His attire had appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February. Early in the meeting, the Ukrainian described the talks as 'really good', saying they had been 'the best' so far. 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Starmer hails ‘real progress' made during White House summit on Ukraine war
The Prime Minister was one of several European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, in attendance for the discussions in Washington on Monday. US President Donald Trump said he spoke directly with Vladimir Putin to begin planning a meeting between the Russian leader and Mr Zelensky, which will then be followed by a three-way meeting involving himself. He also said Moscow will 'accept' multinational efforts to guarantee Ukraine's security. Speaking after the event, Sir Keir described the talks as 'good and constructive', adding: 'There was a real sense of unity between the European leaders that were there, and president Trump and president Zelensky'. The Prime Minister highlighted 'two material outcomes' from the talks, firstly that the coalition of the willing 'will now work with the US' on security guarantees. 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He previously met with Mr Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where he declared there was 'no deal until there's a deal' to end more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe. 'The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach and I believe, in a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine,' Mr Trump said on Monday. 'And this is one of the key points that we need to consider.' He later said: 'We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact.' Mr Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested measures similar to Nato's article five mutual defence provision – that an attack on one member is an attack on the entire bloc – could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance. 'We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer article five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' Mr Witkoff told CNN over the weekend, as he spoke about the Alaska summit. Future three-way talks 'have a good chance' of stopping the conflict, the US president claimed. But the president appeared to share conflicting views on whether a ceasefire was necessary to stop the war. 'I don't think you need a ceasefire,' he had originally said, before later explaining that, 'all of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace'. During the discussions, Sir Keir welcomed plans for a security guarantee, after Mr Trump introduced him at the negotiating table as a 'friend' on Monday. 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'That's really important for security in Ukraine, for security in Europe, and for security in the UK,' Sir Keir said. 'The other material outcome was the agreement that there will now be a bilateral agreement between president Putin and president Zelensky, that was after a phone call between president Trump and president Putin during the course of this afternoon, followed by a trilateral which will then add in president Trump. 'That is a recognition of the principle that on some of these issues, whether it's territory or the exchange of prisoners, or the very serious issue of the return of children, that is something where Ukraine must be at the table. 'These were the two outcomes that were the most important coming out of today. They're positive outcomes, there was a real sense of unity. We've made real progress today.' Posting on his Truth Social platform after the meeting, Mr Trump also described the talks as 'very good', adding: 'During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America. 'Everyone is happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine. 'At the conclusion of the meetings, I called president Putin and began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between president Putin and president Zelensky. 'After the meeting takes place, we will have a trilat which would be the two presidents plus myself.' Before the White House talks, the US president said he would 'probably' be able to find common ground with the leaders on a plan to ward off future attacks on Ukraine. He previously met with Mr Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where he declared there was 'no deal until there's a deal' to end more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe. 'The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach and I believe, in a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine,' Mr Trump said on Monday. 'And this is one of the key points that we need to consider.' He later said: 'We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact.' Mr Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested measures similar to Nato's article five mutual defence provision – that an attack on one member is an attack on the entire bloc – could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance. 'We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer article five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' Mr Witkoff told CNN over the weekend, as he spoke about the Alaska summit. Future three-way talks 'have a good chance' of stopping the conflict, the US president claimed. But the president appeared to share conflicting views on whether a ceasefire was necessary to stop the war. 'I don't think you need a ceasefire,' he had originally said, before later explaining that, 'all of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace'. During the discussions, Sir Keir welcomed plans for a security guarantee, after Mr Trump introduced him at the negotiating table as a 'friend' on Monday. He said: 'Your indication of security guarantees, of some sort of article five-style guarantees, fits with what we've been doing with the coalition of the willing which we started some months ago, bringing countries together and showing that we were prepared to step up to the plate when it came to security. 'With you coming alongside, the US alongside, what we've already developed, I think we could take a really important step forward today – a historic step, actually, could come out of this meeting in terms of security for Ukraine and security in Europe.' Sir Keir also described potential future trilateral talks as appearing to be a 'sensible next step' and continued: 'So, thank you for being prepared to take that forward, because I think if we can ensure that that is the progress out of this meeting – both security guarantees and some sort of progress on (a) trilateral meeting of some sort to bring some of the difficult issues to a head – then I think today will be seen as a very important day in recent years.' The PA news agency understands the Prime Minister disrupted his holiday plans over the weekend to join calls, including with Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, before he headed to Washington, as reported in The Times. Following the talks, Mr Trump said he also discussed 'the massive worldwide problem of missing children' with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Responding on X, Mr Zelensky said: 'This issue lies at the heart of the war's humanitarian tragedy – our children, broken families, the pain of separation. At least 20,000 children were taken. 'We are working tirelessly to bring every child home. The same applies for our prisoners of war and civilians held in Russia for years, some since 2014, in very bad conditions. Thousands of people still need to be freed – and this is a part of making peace. 'We will work to negotiate all-for-all prisoners of war exchange, and we are grateful to have strong friends who help.' Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump greeted at the door of the West Wing with a handshake earlier in the evening, wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House. His attire had appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February. Early in the meeting, the Ukrainian described the talks as 'really good', saying they had been 'the best' so far. Mr Zelensky said: 'We are very happy with the president that all the leaders are here and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts.'
