Mzia Amaglobeli has become a laureate of the Wałęsa prize.
The imprisoned journalist Mzia Amaglobeli in Georgia has been awarded the "Solidarity" prize named after Lech Wałęsa, which is given for contributions to the defense of democracy and civil liberties.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in August 2025, a court in Batumi sentenced the founder of the publications Netgazeti and Batumelebi, Mzia Amaglobeli, to two years in prison for slapping the city's police chief. The appellate court upheld the sentence. The defense appealed this decision, but the Supreme Court of Georgia refused to accept the case for consideration. Thus, the appellate court's decision remained in force, and the possibilities for appealing the sentence were exhausted.
On the night of January 12, 2025, ten people were detained in Batumi, including Mzia Amaglobeli. The reason for Amaglobeli's detention was a poster she had stuck on the wall calling for a general strike. When Amaglobeli was released, she found herself in a crush where an incident occurred involving the city's police chief Irakli Dgebuadze. According to a silent video published by the channel "Imedi", Amaglobeli, surrounded and held by police officers, said something to Dgebuadze, who responded and turned away. Amaglobeli sharply pulled him and slapped him. After that, the journalist was detained again, according to the report from "Caucasian Knot" "The Case of Mzia Amaglobeli: Circumstances of Arrest and Campaign in Defense of the Journalist".
Imprisoned Mzia Amaglobeli has been awarded the "Solidarity" prize named after Lech Wałęsa. The award ceremony took place on September 30 in Warsaw, where the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Radosław Sikorski, handed the award to Batumelebi representative Irma Dimitradze, JAMnews reports today.
The publication reminded that international organizations and diplomatic missions are calling for the release of the journalist. "JAMnews joins the demand to immediately release Mzia Amaglobeli," the publication states.
Lech Wałęsa himself, the former president of Poland and Nobel Prize laureate, attended the award ceremony, reported "Interpressnews" on the evening of September 30.
Lech Wałęsa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 as a human rights activist, according to the report from "Caucasian Knot" "Nobel Peace Prize".
The "Solidarity Prize" named after Lech Wałęsa is awarded to individuals or organizations that make a special contribution to the promotion and protection of democracy and civil liberties and act in the spirit of international solidarity to strengthen democracy and freedom in the world, the publication notes.
Recall that in October 2025, Mzia Amaglobeli received the Sakharov Prize for "Freedom of Thought" - the highest award of the European Union for activities in the field of human rights. The name of the laureate was announced in the European Parliament.
Earlier, Amaglobeli was recognized as a "Hero of Freedom of the World Press in 2025 along with six other journalists.
The case of Amaglobeli attracted the attention of human rights defenders and international organizations
By March 2026, the Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia filed three complaints with the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Mzia Amaglobeli. One of the complaints concerns violations in the application of preventive measures, the second - the administrative detention of the journalist, the third - the improper treatment of Amaglobeli on the day of her detention.
After her detention, Amaglobeli reported that she was insulted by law enforcement officers at the station, the police chief cursed at her, spat in her face and attempted to use force, but other officers stopped him. For three hours, she was not allowed to drink water, use the toilet, or contact a lawyer.
The case of Amaglobeli also received international resonance. Thus, the Vice-President of the European Parliament called on the Georgian authorities to release the journalist, who is losing her eyesight in prison. He suggested sending Amaglobeli abroad for treatment so that she could receive specialized medical care and preserve her eyesight. In October 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly of the EuroNest published a resolution demanding the release of Mzia Amaglobeli.
On January 12, 2026, the anniversary of the journalist's detention, the diplomatic missions of 23 countries and the European Union called the sentence against Amaglobeli politically motivated and demanded her release.
Since the arrest of the journalist, demands for her release and an investigation into the actions of the Batumi police leadership have been voiced at mass protest rallies that have been taking place daily in Georgia since November 2024.