Prosecutor in Mzia Amaghlobeli’s Case – The defense has never requested a plea agreement; we express our readiness to actively discuss the matter

The stage of evidence examination has concluded in the criminal case against Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of the media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, at the Batumi City Court.

The prosecution presented its closing statement to the court.

Prosecutor Tornike Gogeshvili offered the defense the opportunity to discuss a plea agreement in relation to Amaghlobeli’s case.

According to prosecutors, Mzia Amaghlobeli committed an assault on a police officer on January 11.

During the hearing, Prosecutor Gogeshvili recounted the details of Amaghlobeli’s initial detention under administrative charges. He stated that the actual arresting officers were Berdia Feradze and Giorgi Bzhalava, while Grigol Beselia could not be considered as such, as he did not make the decision to detain her.

"In fact, Mzia Amaghlobeli was arrested by officers Berdia Feradze and Giorgi Bzhalava. The investigator drafted the arrest report. The defendant was subjected to a personal search, which involved contact with her clothes and body. It was deemed appropriate for a female officer to conduct this — which is standard practice.

Several officers were present during Amaghlobeli’s arrest, and she was escorted into the police yard. As she was being led inside, Giorgi Bzhalava was following closely — the actual arresting officer was with her.

The person who effectively arrests someone and makes the decision bears responsibility for the detainee's safety.

In the footage, we see officer Grigol Beselia approaching Mzia Amaghlobeli and escorting her into the police station yard, alongside officer Gocha Vanadze. The person who makes the decision to arrest is considered the factual arresting officer. Since Beselia did not make that decision, he cannot be considered the arresting officer in this administrative case."

The prosecutor also emphasized that video footage showed violations of the law by various protest participants, who were detained at different times.

"Grigol Beselia was trying to de-escalate the situation. At that moment, Amaghlobeli was caught in a crowd and fell down.

The situation during the rally was so chaotic that any verbal insult toward an officer could have led to arrest — and arrests of different individuals occurred.

The rally was taking place near the police administration building and involved a lot of pushing. If the sole aim had been to arrest Amaghlobeli, as Ms. Eter Turadze claimed, then she and others wouldn't have been released later under administrative charges,” Gogeshvili stated.

As part of his closing remarks, Prosecutor Gogeshvili also read the testimony of Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze, who recounted the events of January 11 outside the Adjara Police Headquarters.

Gogeshvili also addressed the charge of assaulting a police officer, stating that the nature of the act — striking someone in the face — qualifies as a violent action.

“Our goal was to obtain detailed information from Ms. Mzia, which was critical for determining the legal qualification of the case. Shortly after her detention, she went on a hunger strike, making it impossible to conduct investigative procedures at that time. We were particularly interested in the motive. Redness [on the officer’s face] indicates injury.

The officer was performing his duties and asked Ms. Mzia a question. She hit him because of his official duties — she was demanding explanations about the detainees, as can be seen in the video. She was engaged in communication with the responsible officer. The action — pulling and striking — clearly took place. The defendant stated in her testimony that her reaction was an impulsive response to the confrontational communication.

We’ve heard witness testimonies. The court will rely on the evidence. The defendant said she was at the rally in solidarity with detained individuals like Tsiala Katamadze.

A blow to the face is a violent act.

In this case, a violent act was committed. If a man had been in Ms. Mzia’s place and had slapped the officer… the crime would still be evident. Whether the action was directly intended to cause bodily harm may influence the sentencing, but the offense itself is clear.

This is clearly a case of assaulting a police officer in the line of duty. Every officer was performing official duties at the protest. We firmly believe this was an assault.

Journalism is indeed important, and I express respect for the profession.

The charge has been proven without doubt. Lastly, I want to say that during the entire proceedings, the defense has not once initiated discussion of a plea agreement, despite our readiness to actively consider such an option,” the prosecutor concluded.

The prosecutor’s closing remarks caused an uproar in the courtroom from Amaghlobeli’s supporters. In protest, some left the courtroom shouting: "There’s dictatorship in the courtroom! There’s tyranny in the courtroom!"

During today’s hearing, the defense called and questioned an expert witness. At the next session, the defense will deliver their closing arguments. The next hearing is scheduled for August 1st at 13:00.