The actions of a quiet person are very loud. Mzia worked tirelessly for this country and its citizens, for democracy and freedom of speech; the light in her room never went out. When the prosecutor asked if she had ever committed an offense, they searched and searched and found a report from 20 years ago—that was the worst they could find, said Maia Mtsariashvili, the lawyer of Mzia Amaghlobeli, the founder of “Batumelebi,” during her closing statement in a criminal case before the court.

In her closing statement, Maia Mtsariashvili focused on Mzia Amaghlobeli’s work, noting that the publications she founded changed the lives of many people.

“I want to start my defense speech somewhat unconventionally. I haven’t spoken much about Mzia, so today I want to talk about her. Why did I decide to talk about Mzia? The prosecutor, in their closing statement, asked Mzia if she had ever committed an offense. Mzia thought hard about whether she had any unpaid bank debts… She hadn’t even violated traffic rules. But the prosecutor reminded her of an incident from 20 years ago when, while conducting journalistic work in Adjara, she took a photo in a border zone, and the relevant authorities drew up a report. The prosecution searched and searched and found a 20-year-old administrative offense report—that was the worst they could find. Mzia’s work is tied to the founding of ‘Netgazeti’ and ‘Batumelebi.’ Young Mzia Amaghlobeli and Eter Turadze together founded the media outlet ‘Batumelebi,’ which celebrates its anniversary on May 26. This date is no coincidence. In Adjara, people were being persecuted en masse, and separatism was encouraged. On May 26, 2001, the first issue of the newspaper was published. This was not a coincidence; it was Mzia’s bold statement, aimed at spreading and promoting free speech. It started with one computer and a firm belief in freedom. Today, Mzia turned 50 in a penitentiary institution. As ‘Batumelebi’ grew, Mzia transitioned into a media manager role. ‘Batumelebi,’ which covered corruption and nepotism, became a target and victim of physical retaliation at its inception. ‘Batumelebi’ published an article about how the militia at the time was protecting prostitution, and it was then that Mzia became a victim of an attack.

After Aslan Abashidze left the country, the newspaper began to grow rapidly. It remained an independent, critical media outlet. Mzia founded the online publication ‘Netgazeti.’ Journalists from ‘Batumelebi’ and ‘Netgazeti’ have received numerous international awards. Following the publication of articles by ‘Batumelebi’ and ‘Netgazeti,’ the lives of many people changed. As Mzia’s colleagues told me, the light in her room never went out. She worked tirelessly for this country and its citizens, for democracy and freedom of speech. The actions of a quiet person are very loud. I have the honor of representing Mzia Amaghlobeli in this court,” stated Maia Mtsariashvili.

For information, the investigation is charging Mzia Amaghlobeli under Article 353 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to an attack on a police officer and carries a penalty of 4 to 7 years of imprisonment. Mzia Amaghlobeli was initially detained under administrative procedures during a protest on January 11 near the main police department in Batumi and was released after about two hours. A few minutes after her release, she was detained again near the police department. Mzia Amaghlobeli slapped Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze, which was qualified as an attack on a police officer.