The European Court of Human Rights has begun consideration of the case of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of Batumelebi.

As Mzia Amaglobeli’s human rights defender and GYLA chairperson Nona Kurdovanidze stated at the press conference today, international mechanisms will be used in all cases ongoing against Mzia Amaglobeli if her rights are not protected at the national level in Georgia.

“We would like to inform you about very important news that became known to us yesterday. The European Court of Human Rights has informed the Young Lawyers’ Association that consideration of Mzia Amaglobeli’s case has begun. The letter also indicates that this case may become a high-profile case due to its importance. It is also worth considering that the Strasbourg Court began considering the case in a very short time. As you remember, 2 months ago we sent Mzia Amaglobeli's case to the Strasbourg Court and the case has already moved to the next stage, when the substantive issues related to the violations we disputed in the complaint will be considered. As is known to the public, our complaint concerns the violation of fundamental rights of the European Convention on Human Rights against Mzia Amaglobeli, such as the right to liberty and security, as well as the right to a fair trial, and freedom of expression,” said Nona Kurdovanidze.

According to her, communication with Georgia has begun regarding all these articles.

“In particular, regarding the violations indicated in the complaint, Georgia has been given appropriate time to answer the questions that the court is interested in at this stage based on this case. This is a very important process. Once again, we would like to remind the public that Mzia Amaglobeli remains in illegal detention and it is precisely these violations that this case basically concerns,” said Kurdovanidze.