From prison, Mzia Amaglobeli has become a symbol of resistance against Georgia’s oppressive pro-Russian elite.
In a photograph taken in Batumi’s City Court, Mzia Amaglobeli, a veteran Georgian journalist, holds a copy of Maria Ressa’s How to Stand Up to a Dictator. The picture, which has become iconic for protesters in the streets outside, sends a powerful message: “Fight before it’s too late. Freedom is dearer than life.”
Amaglobeli began a hunger strike on January 12, after being unlawfully detained and abused in detention, and says she is protesting against “repressive, treacherous, and violent processes targeting humanity, freedom of speech and expression.” Her self-sacrifice has become a symbol of the struggle for democracy in Georgia.
The 50-year-old female journalist displayed extraordinary courage during her 38-day-long dry hunger strike, despite doctors’ warning of potentially lethal consequences. Due to her deteriorating health, she was transferred to the hospital on the 24th day for medical checks but was immediately returned to a prison outside the capital afterward.
Amaglobeli was arrested twice on the night of January 11-12: first, for hanging a protest poster that read “Georgia is on Strike”, and second, for allegedly slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze. That brought assault charges that carry a prison sentence of four to seven years, which is typically given for crimes like kidnapping, counterfeiting, or theft.
Amaglobeli is a figurehead prisoner of the regime, and her treatment sets an alarming precedent for limiting political justice and media freedom, which the Georgian Dream ruling party is already targeting with an additional restrictive law banning foreign financing and introducing regulations for “journalistic ethics.”
The country was plunged into a wave of anti-government protests after the governing Georgian Dream Party’s decision to halt the process of European Union accession until 2028. Nationwide demonstrations have drawn citizens from all walks of life to oppose the change in their country’s trajectory. Protests have been ongoing for 85 consecutive days with no end in sight. The government now threatens demonstrators with heavy fines for blocking roads.
Since the angrily disputed and internationally unrecognized parliamentary elections of October, Georgians have demonstrated an unprecedented level of grassroots organization. There have been dozens of thematic marches on a daily basis, each emphasizing the diversity, unity, and strength of the movement.
The original goal — to prevent Georgia from losing its opportunity to advance on its European path — quickly grew into a broader struggle to keep the country from becoming authoritarian and pro-Russian. Some have labeled this as the “Belarusianization of Georgia.”
The protesters’ demands include the immediate release of all unjustly detained individuals and the organization of new and fair parliamentary elections.
In the face of growing protests and the persistence of their opponents, the Georgian Dream has introduced highly repressive laws targeting protesters, the media, and civil society which aim to incapacitate and demoralize dissenters.
Amaglobeli’s hunger strike was an emblem of the fight for freedom and democratic survival in Georgia and of the risks being taken by protesters. In the first 80 days of demonstrations, more than 500 people were unlawfully detained, with over 300 suffering ill-treatment. Of those, at least 53 are still in detention.
Protesters know that in Georgia’s current climate, anyone could find themselves in Amaglobeli’s position – empty-handed in the fight against injustice.
Throughout her career, Amaglobeli has been unwavering in her commitment to fairness and justice. An outspoken critic of all undemocratic regimes, she founded Netgazeti and Batumelebi, to produce independent news, in the mountainous Adjara region in the early 2000s. It became a lifeline for democracy and shaped an era of investigative journalism.
A share of blame for Georgia’s deepest democratic crisis in 30 years lies with opposition political parties, which have failed to present a credible alternative to the Georgian Dream, as well as civil society’s inability to effectively counter the “war versus peace” narrative leading up to last year’s elections.
In this context, Amaglobeli’s story reflects two deeper problems: the indifference of the Georgian government towards its own people, and a lack of meaningful international intervention.
While the government’s silence on her case represents a broader disregard for democracy and human rights, the international reluctance to take a firm stand against the erosion of democratic values has only worsened the crisis.
The world’s passivity has left Georgia vulnerable to the authoritarian impulses of its ruling elite, who thrive on a relentless campaign of disinformation. The failure to defend values-based order in the EU’s neighborhood has also allowed Russian influence to spread, threatening fragile democracies and creating consequences that reverberate far beyond Georgia’s borders.
“The fact that this has happened, and the guilt I feel, is the result of repressive, hostile, hate-filled processes directed against the individual and against freedom of speech and expression,” Amaglobeli wrote from prison. “Processes that have been developing for the past year and are now entering our daily lives as dictatorship.”
Amaglobeli’s resistance is a clarion call to the world to recognize the urgency of the moment.
By Kristina Pitalskaya. Kristina Pitalskaya is a civil society expert and a co-founder of the Brussels based NGO, Promote Georgia. Article and pictures first time published on CEPA web page. Prepared for publication by volunteers from the Res Publica - The Center for Civil Resistance.
