Georgia announces sentence for Nino Katamadze who protested near a judge's house: how the singer reacted

Georgian Kutaisi Court of Appeals found nine protesters guilty of violating the law, including the famous singer Nino Katamadze. They were demanding the release of Mzia Amaglobeli, the head of several Georgian media outlets, who is under arrest.

Judge Tsitsino Mosidze ruled that the protesters had violated the law by gathering near the house of Judge Malkhaz Okropirashvili and unfurling a banner with the words "Freedom to Mzia Amaglobeli." The protesters were fined 5000 GEL (about 80 thousand hryvnias) each. They also faced arrest for 60 days. This was reported by Georgia Online.

The defendants, in addition to Katamadze, also include psychologist Maya Tsiramua, journalist Gela Mtivlishvili, teacher and national award winner Vladimer Apkhazava, journalist Khvicha Vashakmadze and other activists.

During the hearing, Nino Katamadze stated that she won't stop fighting for justice, "I can't promise you that I will stop, Mzia needs us, and we said that the judge was unfair."

What preceded it

Mzia Amaglobeli, a journalist and director of the Georgian publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was detained on January 12 during a protest in Batumi. The reason was that she slapped the local police chief, Irakli Dgebuadze, who, according to her, had repeatedly insulted her. The journalist was charged with assaulting a police officer, which carries a sentence of 4 to 7 years in prison, Ekho Kavkaza reports.

Due to her detention, Amaglobeli went on a hunger strike, which has been going on for 30 days. As her health deteriorated, she was transferred to a medical facility for examination. The preliminary court hearing in her case is scheduled for March 4.

The Amaglobeli case has stirred up Georgian society, particularly journalists and human rights activists. The country's authorities continue to tighten restrictions on protests, which was one of the main reasons for the public demonstration for twhich Nino Katamadze and other activist were sentenced.

As a reminder, Nino Katamadze is also actively urges people to support Ukraine in the war with Russia. She claims that calling Ukrainian soldiers "heroes" is not enough, and that she is ready to move to our country for permanent residence.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!