Mzia Amaghlobeli addressed the court with a speech before her verdict at a hearing held in Batumi today. She thanked her relatives, friends, colleagues, supporters, the diplomatic corps, activists and human rights defenders. She expressed solidarity with prisoners of conscience, including Nino Datashvili, and protested the prosecutor’s office’s decision to examine her psychiatric condition.
Mzia’s speech was emotional, her voice cracked several times and she teared up. Those present in the hall were crying.
At the beginning of the hearing, lawyer Maia Mtsariashvili stated that Mzia’s vision has deteriorated further and she has 1% vision in one eye, meaning she has practically no vision left, and in the other eye, with glasses, it can only be improved to 30%. The human rights defender asked the court to take this into account when making a decision.
“Thank you very much to the court for adjourning the trial for today. I am glad to see my friends, family, and supporters again, although I also feel awkward that you had to come to the courtroom again.”
“I remember once saying at a trial that the processes outside are developing so intensely from session to session that I can’t even concentrate on my imprisonment and my case. I feel the same way today.”
This is how Mzia began her speech, and in the introduction she spoke about the Nino Datashvili case.
“I had marked August 4 as the date when the court was to consider changing the preventive measure of Nino Datashvili, an activist and prisoner of conscience. Nino is in the same penitentiary institution where I am. However, we are in such isolated conditions that we cannot even accidentally run into each other. As a sign of solidarity, we sent her a book […] with the inscription: “Nino, be strong, you are not alone.”
“After I learned that the prosecutor’s office is planning to lock Nino up in a psychiatric hospital, I completely collapsed. It’s hard for me to remember when such mockery happened before. Then I remembered Nino’s words: “I am not a victim” and everything was clear again. This brought me back to clarity. Nino will also resist this challenge and the regime will receive a fitting response,” said Amaghlobeli, after which she addressed the prosecutors on the same case:
“Prosecutors, because of anger and injustice, sometimes I also get teary-eyed, my eyes water. My voice cracks, and sometimes I can’t find words. What do you think, does this emotional state of mine also require a psychiatric examination?”
Mzia also noted that many issues in her final speech became insignificant due to the Nino Datashvili case. According to her, she really wanted to talk about the importance of solidarity and the harmfulness of Russian law. She also wanted to talk about the mission of Netgazeti and Batumelebi , about impartiality, and about the benefits of disclosing hidden information and harmful practices to society: “Examples of our investigations. Based on this investigation, changes were made to the law and the lives of specific citizens were saved.”
After that, Mzia spoke about the procedural delay and noted that even the offer was insulting to her and agreeing to it was the same as burying her alive.
“In the place where I have been illegally locked up for seven months, for many, a plea bargain is truly a humane step taken by the state. I will never forget the cry of that little girl — “I miss my mother, I want to be with my mother,” whose voice could be heard even in my cell. When I heard that this girl’s parents were making a plea bargain with the prosecutor’s office, I was very happy, I won’t hide it from you.”
“In my case, it’s not like that. Without any exaggeration, it’s equivalent to being buried alive, even the offer was very insulting to me. In short, I can’t say anything new, the lawyers have already made my position clear, it is a no.”
“I cannot sign this plea bargain for the simple reason that what happened was not an attack, and presenting and packaging a slap as an attack is evil. I personally don’t know what the law is. I’ve been thinking about this for 7 months and I don’t know.”
Mzia emphasized that she has repeatedly said and will repeat since the first day of her arrest that she will not avoid responsibility: “Unlike the so-called victim Dgebuadze. I think that there is an adequate article in the law for the responsibility for my actions, for slapping.”
The journalist noted that if both the investigators and the prosecutor’s office had worked impartially on her case from the beginning, the case would not have gone to court with this qualification.
“I remember that at one of the hearings, Mr. Prosecutor asked me a question of approximately the following content: if you disagree with the qualification of my accusation, tell me which article applies. The prosecution is asking me this when about ten investigators have wrapped up the case and brought it to court in such a way that they did not ask me any questions, they were not interested in my opinion. I am sure that if the investigators had asked professional questions at the time, if they had conducted an impartial investigation, if they had not taken into account the interests of the so-called victim Dgebuadze, this case would not have been brought to court with the qualification of assault.
“I will have her caught according to the criminal law, Dgebuadze promised me publicly and charged me with 4 to 7 years. The prosecutor’s office also joined his service, unfortunately. However, that no longer matters. Now the court must discuss my crime, what punishment I deserve.”
“This verdict will not be my verdict alone. It will be your verdict as well, Mr. Prosecutors, and it will be a professional verdict for all those who were involved in this case on the part of the state.”
Mzia discussed how the propaganda machine is fighting her and what role those in power play in this.
“It is unfortunate that the court did not satisfy our petitions and did not allow us to ask questions to those individuals, those politicians who are trying to discredit me to this day. While the case is ongoing in court, they are referring to me as a criminal, spreading false information about me. They are talking about me being an agent, the Global War Party is backing me, they taught me how to slap people during training, it turns out I was taking assignments, it turns out I was taking money, I was putting stickers on police officers’ backs, I was working to undermine the police and dismantle the system.
A thousand madness and delusions, but really, I’m sorry to say this, but I can’t find any other way to explain it. Don’t think that random people said this, Mrs. Judge, they are in power and represent the ruling political party. At the previous court hearing, I repeated and I will repeat now that the Prime Minister of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze, is particularly active.
For this reason, Mzia addressed Irakli Kobakhidze and told him that the Georgian Dream contributed to the discrediting of the police, as they were sheltering criminals:
“Mr. Irakli, the reputation of the police does not require the Deep State to be tarnished; they themselves are behaving in a way that destroys public trust. The crisis of trust in the police was created and grew when you sheltered the perpetrators in their ranks and did not punish or investigate cases such as the attacks on my colleagues, Guram Rogava, Maka Chikhladze, and Aleksandre Keshelashvili. You have probably all seen these videos, what an attack is, what they are doing to Maka Chikhladze and Guram Rogava. That is an attack.”
“You tore the Constitution over the heads of the peaceful protesters, the ones you told they do not belong in Europe, you crushed the heads of these young people, arrested them, and then beat them in minibuses. You didn’t even investigate these cases. That’s why I have a hard time, let alone investigate the degrading and inhumane treatment that the police committed against me,” Mzia said.
After that, she addressed the judge and once again told her how she was treated after her arrest:
“Mrs. Judge, I don’t have any footage of this, so please imagine the facts that I am going to tell you and that I have told you before. In a completely peaceful environment, a policeman suddenly appears and conducts a search. […] As a result of strong pushes and blows from the back, I fall to the asphalt. Then they step over me, trample me.
Now imagine the second episode. This is the episode after the slap, barefoot, having been kicked a few minutes ago, almost in a state of shock, I am sitting at a police station. […] A person rushes into the room with noise and swearing. […] I don’t know, it’s too bad that I couldn’t remember the faces of those who saved me from that pain and physical attack, I owe them a thanks and that’s why. […]
This one was even more insulting and unbearable than the first one. During one of these burst-ins, when he came close to me, I felt him come in and raised my head, and he spitted in my face. […] I never imagined that I would say this… I would publicly repeat how they were saying “let her piss herself, don’t take her out”. I really want you to imagine this clearly. This person was the so-called victim Irakli Dgebuadze. After that, his employees continued the humiliation, but in a different form, handcuffed me, and tied me up behind my back. […]
The third frame — you don’t need to imagine this, you have this video. It’s a 44-second video and it’s up to you to decide what you call it, an attack or the reaction of a humiliated, insulted person. Mrs. Judge, when assessing the charges, please don’t take into account that I am a woman. The prosecutor noted during the discussion of the precedent: if we accept this now, if a man, who is stronger, hits someone, how would we behave? Therefore, please don’t take into account that I am a woman and don’t take into account that I am not in good health either. To establish the justice of my case, it is enough for you to respect your own personality, your own profession, and even study our evidence. Anyway, whatever decision you make, whatever decision the court makes today, tomorrow, the day after, I want you to know that I consider myself a winner. I would like to thank my lawyers and, even more, human rights defenders for this attitude.”
Mzia noted that when the state opposed her and everyone threw stones and mud at her, the lawyers opposed the propaganda and were able to speak out loudly, with arguments and evidence.
“They were able to maintain my trust in people and continue to fight for justice with them. Remember their names, they will become the pillars of Georgian justice and the rule of law. My special respect to them.”
She also said that she wanted to thank many people and that “even if she were given another life,” it would not be enough to “return the kindness” she felt. Mzia noted that it was always a joy to see representatives of the diplomatic corps and human rights organizations at the meetings, but she did not perceive it as personal support, as they were there to support Georgia’s democratic and European future and free speech.
She thanked her colleagues, all those working in critical media, the civil sector, and all citizens fighting for freedom, who represent the resistance team.
“Wherever you are, remember that the voice and strength that comes from you are a carrier of immeasurable energy. It is precisely because of your solidarity that I survived physically during the famine, so do not lose faith in your abilities — there is still time to fight until victory.”
At the end of her speech, Mzia said that she also wanted to apologize to her family, friends, the editorial staff of Netgazeti and Batumelebi for not being with them during their most difficult time. She cried during this addressing.
“I don’t just want to thank you, I also want to apologize: to my family, friends, Batumelebi and Netgazeti team, I want to say that I am sorry, I am very sorry, that I am not with you at this most difficult and, at the same time, important time.”
“Do not break, do not let my imprisonment weaken you, I believe in you. I believe that no matter how difficult and dangerous the environment you are in, all your steps will be worthy, will be directed towards the protection of thought, speech and freedom. And finally, freedom for all political prisoners, we are not criminals. Thank you.”
This is how Mzia ended her speech, which was met with tears and applause in the hall. The announcement of the verdict was postponed to August 6, at 2:00 PM. Mzia left the hall amid noise — those gathered there were shouting: “We love you, Mzia.”