On June 9, Batumi City Court will hear yet another administrative offense case against journalist Mzia Amaglobe­li. According to information shared on May 7 by Amaglobe­li’s legal representative, Nona Kurdovanidze, head of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has filed an additional charge against the journalist. This time, she is accused of “damaging the appearance of a building” — for posting a protest sign during a demonstration on January 11, a sign that was immediately removed after it was put up.

It’s worth noting that Amaglobe­li was initially detained on the spot for this act under administrative procedure. However, it later became clear that simply posting the sign did not legally justify her detention, and she was released about an hour later. The Ministry of Internal Affairs subsequently amended the offense record to claim she had disobeyed a police order, in an effort to justify the arrest.

In that case, two levels of court found Amaglobe­li guilty and imposed a fine of 2,000 GEL.

Now, despite a legal ruling already having been made on what is essentially the same action, Batumi City Court is reviewing the incident under a new legal classification. The case is being heard by Judge Mariam Fomaeva, who was appointed in December 2024 on a probationary basis.