TBILISI, DFWatch–A jailed newspaper editor in Georgia has been offered a plea deal by prosecutors as her trial draws to an end.
Founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Mzia Amaghlobeli, is on trial for slapping a police officer during a January protest. Her trial has drawn widespread condemnation.
As the court goes through the evidence, the prosecutor has offered the defense the opportunity to discuss a plea agreement, according to Interpressnews. Prosecutor Tornike Gogeshvili stated confidently that “the charge has been proven without doubt.”
Amaghlobeli’s lawyer, Maia Mtsariashvili, accused authorities of pressuring her: “Your only chance to get out of prison is to take the blame for everything […] and then we’ll discuss how much we’ll lighten your sentence.”
Supporters of the jailed edotir erupted in protest during the court hearing. The defense is expected to deliver closing arguments next.
Meanwhile, the Revenue Service has placed a lien on Batumelebi’s accounts for an outstanding tax debt of 47,000 GEL (USD 17,000), plus penalties totaling another 235,000 GEL.
Batumelebi said the lien threatens its technical equipment and office, alleging financial pressure aimed at its founder, Mzia Amaghlobeli, timed as her trial reaches a critical phase. They note larger media outlets—Imedi and Rustavi 2—owe substantially more without similar actions.
“Freedom of speech is one of the core values of a democratic state, and its suppression is tantamount to the destruction of the state itself,” Batumelebi wrote in a statement.
Government representatives claim the lien is part of standard tax enforcement.
