Free Media Awards 2025
Mzia Amaglobeli (Georgia)

She is receiving a Free Media Award for 25 years of commitment to journalistic integrity and ethical judgement, during which time she has established two of the most popular and trusted news platforms in the country: Batumelebi and Netgazeti. These news portals are published in Georgian. In various roles as reporter, founder and director, Mzia Amaglobeli has documented human rights abuses, corruption and poor political governance. The fight against disinformation and propaganda is strong in Batumelebi and Netgazeti, which have endured persecution under three governments. Mzia Amaglobeli, age 49, was arrested this past January during a protest against the authorities when she tried to put up a sticker calling for a national strike. After being released on bail, she was subsequently re-arrested for slapping the chief of police in Batumi after a verbal altercation. In August, she received a two-year prison sentence in what human rights groups deem to be a politically motivated case. In reality, she is being punished for exposing the regime’s corrupt activities over many years. She is the first female journalist in Georgia to be jailed on politically motivated charges since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. She went on a hunger strike to protest against the authorities for 38 days in January and February this year, and her health is currently in a critical state.