Mzia Amaglobeli

Mzia Amaglobeli (Georgian: მზია ამაღლობელი; born 12 May 1975) is a Georgian journalist who is the co-founder and director of the online media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti.

On 12 January 2025, during the protests in Georgia, Amaglobeli was arrested on charges of "attacking a police officer" after she slapped the chief of Batumi Police, Irakli Dgebuadze, who was repeatedly verbally abusing her and subjecting her to obscenities. The article she was charged under is normally reserved for serious physical assaults and carries a prison sentence of 4 to 7 years. Transparency International has described her imprisonment as unconstitutional and unlawful, stating that Amaglobeli is being punished "for exposing the regime's corruption and other unlawful activities over the years."

After her arrest, Amaglobeli began a hunger strike that lasted 38 days. She said this was a form of protest against injustice. According to the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, due to the long duration of the hunger strike, Amaglobeli's life was in danger already as of 27 January 2025. On 18 February 2025, Amaglobeli announced she was ending her hunger strike after growing public concern for her, as well as the death of two children in Batumi. In June 2025, several reports emerged that indicate that Amaglobeli's health has continued to deteriorate in jail.

On 6 August 2025, Amaghlobeli was convicted on the lesser charge of "resistance, threats or violence against a defender of the public order" and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

Amaglobeli is recognized as Georgia's first female political prisoner after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the first female journalist designated as a prisoner of conscience. In 2025, she received the Sakharov Prize annually awarded by the European Parliament.