GEORGIA: Amaglobeli’s Prison Sentence & more – 7th Aug 2025

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 7th of August twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Wednesday, the 6th, a judge sentenced Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, to two years in prison, changing her charge from assaulting a police officer to resisting one.

It all goes back to January twenty twenty-five, when police detained her twice during pro-European protests in Batumi in southwestern Georgia. The second time, she slapped Irakli Dgebuadze, a Batumi police chief. She said that during her first detainment, Dgebuadze verbally abused her, spat in her face, and told officers to stop her from drinking water or using the bathroom, which led to Mzia slapping him.

Twenty‑four embassies condemned the verdict as disproportionate and politically driven, calling it part of a broader pattern of pressure, intimidation, and violence against journalists in Georgia.

On the same day the court found Gogi Akhobadze, a doctor who was arrested during pro-European protests and accused of possession of large quantities of drugs, innocent. Akhobadze and his defence said from the start that the drugs were planted on him by policemen. During the arrest, Akobadze was taking medical care of his aging mother, who passed away several months after his arrest.

The court said the case against him did not cross the threshold of reasonable doubt. The prosecutor's office said that they will appeal the decision in a higher court.

On Thursday, the 31st of July, the Georgian Dream or the Kotsebi named Kakha Kaladze as their candidate for Tbilisi mayor for the October municipal elections. He’s running for a third term, which is allowed since the position has no term limits.

Kaladze said the city has come a long way in the last eight years and introduced his new campaign slogan Peace to Georgia, more good for Tbilisi, which is similar to the party's slogan in last year's parliamentary elections and pushes the idea that the Kotsebi are the ones keeping the country from the perils of war with Russia.

Meanwhile, two major opposition parties plan to reveal a joint candidate in September.

As part of the Kotsebi’s push to look tough on corruption ahead of the October local elections, investigators arrested a high-ranking official at the Rural Development Agency. Authorities say department head Tornike Kapanadze worked with an organized group to illegally distribute grant money meant for farming equipment. The case connects to a broader investigation we covered several weeks ago, when officials arrested eleven people for fraudulently taking over 800,000 Lari, over 300,000 dollars in state grants, using fake invoices and documents from twenty twenty-one to twenty twenty-four.

Investigators froze property and bank accounts linked to the suspects. They said Kapanadze helped split the stolen money with others in the group. The Finance Ministry's investigative service said it will keep cracking down on financial crimes.

Charges could lead to seven to ten years in prison, and more arrests may follow as the probe continues.

Next up, on Monday, the 4th, the Revenue Service announced a probe into a rental agreement between Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador, and Mamuka Khazaradze’s wife. Khazaradze is the founder of Coalition Strong Georgia (or Dzlieri - Lelo), currently in prison along with other opposition leaders for refusing the summons to appear before the Parliament’s temporary investigative committee.

Khazaradze’s wife owns the Tbilisi apartment Fischer rents. Officials say they’re checking for possible tax violations.

Khazaradze called the investigation part of a political smear campaign. He said his family found a tax issue last week due to confusion over how the income should be taxed. They quickly contacted authorities, reached an agreement and paid what was owed. However, the Kotsebi were quick to capitalize on this news, accusing Fischer of unethical behavior for renting an apartment from an opposition politician.

Meanwhile, the parliament’s investigative committee, led by Kotsebi MP Tea Tsulukiani, approved the draft version of its final report on Monday, the 4th. Tsulukiani said the document spans 430 pages and was unanimously supported. The public won’t see it until early September, when the full parliament discusses it in a plenary session. Tsulukiani wants the report published as a book and translated into English. She says it could help investigative agencies, courts, and NGOs dig deeper into the topics covered.

The committee focuses on alleged wrongdoings of political figures and officials from two thousand three to today, especially those linked to the previous ruling party. Several opposition leaders, including Nika Melia, Nika Gvaramia, Zurab Japaridze, and Mamuka Khazaradze, remain in prison for refusing to participate in the committee’s sessions.

On Sunday, the 3rd, the police raided the home of Levan Mazmishvili, a Georgian fighter who recently returned from the frontline in Ukraine, late at night in the village of Shindisi, near Tbilisi. His father, Mirian Mazmishvili, said officers climbed in through a window around 3:30 a.m., armed and searching for weapons. They damaged furniture during the search and confiscated a legally registered hunting rifle, the only weapon in the house.

Mirian said he didn’t understand the reason behind the raid but suspects it might be tied to his son’s time fighting in Ukraine. He pointed out that both he and his son are war veterans, and questioned why someone who fought for his country is being treated like a criminal. The family has filed a complaint with the Interior Ministry’s internal affairs unit, citing possible police misconduct..

The Kotsebi doesn’t like Georgian citizens fighting in Ukraine against Russia, as they consider it a provocative action against Russia. They are also sort of afraid of people with military experience, as they think the opposition will use them to fight against the party.

While some Georgians fight for Ukraine, others are sanctioned for actions against the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed new sanctions on ninety-four people, including two Georgian sailors. The list targets the captains of Russia's shadow fleet.

In other news, Levan Gogichaishvili from Gogi Gakharia’s party For Georgia or Sakartvelostvis said on TV Formula that Gakharia’s return to the country right now would be a wrong move.

He said that Gakharia, who has been abroad for several weeks partly due to the risk of facing imprisonment like many other opposition politicians, will come back when the time is right. Gogichaishvili said that Gakharia continues high‑level meetings aimed at countering the damage caused by the Kotsebi and recently helped delay an EU decision on suspending visa-free travel.

On Monday, the 4th, Russian media reported that authorities put Georgian opposition leader Aleko Elisashvili on an international wanted list and sentenced him to prison in absentia.

Elisashvili, currently a member of Dzlieri - Lelo and one of the frontrunners for the opposition’s Tbilisi mayoral candidate, faces charges under Russia’s law against mercenary participation in armed conflicts.

He traveled to Ukraine in March twenty twenty-two to fight against Russia and reportedly took part in battles, including in Irpin. Russia says he left Ukraine in April twenty twenty-two and returned to Georgia. They say he received payment for his involvement.

On Wednesday, the 6th, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy published a report on pro-government social media activity in early twenty twenty-five. It found that pro‑government propaganda outlets and anonymous Facebook pages frequently shared hundreds of identical or near‑identical content.

These pages backed the ruling party, attacked pro‑Western opposition, NGOs, and critical media, and spread deep state conspiracy theories accusing the West of unrest and interference. They portrayed protests as foreign‑funded, promoted anti‑Ukraine messages, and framed the Kotsebi as the sole defender of sovereignty.

Russian‑linked networks amplified these messages, calling for closer Russia‑Georgia ties and targeting Western diplomats with coordinated smear campaigns.

Finally, popular Georgian band LOUDspeakers announced on Tuesday, the 5th, that they won’t perform at the West Fest Kutaisi, a music festival in Kutaisi, western Georgia. The group said the organizers told them that any protest message from the stage could put the event at risk. The band members said they refused to play anywhere that limits solidarity with political prisoners.

The festival’s founders later responded, saying they aim to keep the event focused on music and entertainment, not politics. They noted that they had agreed with all participating bands in advance to avoid certain topics, and while they respect LOUDspeakers’ decision, they will move forward with the festival.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Nakhvamdis!