Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder and director of the independent newspaper Batumelebi and the online outlet Netgazeti, has been remanded in custody by Batumi City Court Judge Nino Sakhelashvili.

When asked about the recent repressive tactics of the Georgian Dream, including the case of Mzia Amaglobeli, State Department spokesperson told the Accent the following:

• "United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party’s brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, and opposition figures.
• We call on Georgian Dream to cease its repressive tactics, including its use of arbitrary detention and physical violence, to attempt to silence its critics. Officials responsible for the unlawful use of force must be held fully accountable and those unlawfully detained must be released immediately. The government must respect human rights, including due process of law for all detained."

Mzia Amaghlobeli was arrested in Batumi on the night of January 12. She is charged with assaulting a police officer. Video footage shows Amaghlobeli slapping a police officer in the face, which the authorities have classified as an assault. She was charged under Article 353 Prima of the Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of four to seven years in prison.