Police Chief Dgebuadze is moved from his position only a month after Amaghlobeli's sentencing.

In the heart of Batumi, Georgia, daily anti-government protests have been a constant since 28 November, following the suspension of the EU membership bid by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Amidst this tumultuous political climate, the case of Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of independent media outlets Netgazeti and Batumelebi, has become a focal point.

Amaghlobeli's troubles began on the night of 11 January when she was first detained for putting a sticker calling for a nationwide strike. This was followed by another arrest, this time outside a police station, where she was accused of slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze during a heated exchange.

The video of Amaghlobeli's arrest shows Dgebuadze insulting and threatening her. However, Dgebuadze has stated that the voice in the recording does not sound like his, and he claims to have felt pain and his cheek turned red after Amaghlobeli's slap. Amaghlobeli, on the other hand, has spoken about degrading treatment by the police and the abuse she faced following her second arrest.

Amaghlobeli was initially charged with assaulting a police officer, but was sentenced to two years in prison for 'resisting, threatening, or using violence against a protector of public order'. Her lawyers have appealed the verdict to the Court of Appeals.

The case has been widely condemned as politically motivated, linked to Amaghlobeli's media work. Other protesters, such as Malkhaz Iremadze, have claimed that Dgebuadze insulted them, physically assaulted them, and even beat them, resulting in Iremadze losing consciousness. Temur Khatamadze, an ethnic Georgian activist and Turkish citizen, claimed he was physically assaulted by Dgebuadze and 10 other officers during his detention.

Dgebuadze, who has since been transferred to Tbilisi to work in the Central Criminal Police Department, reportedly told Khatamadze, 'You dog and Turk, what do you want in Georgia? Get out of here'.

Amaghlobeli's media outlets have reported on the protests and the alleged abuses by the police, making her a prominent figure in the ongoing struggle for political change in Georgia. As she serves her two-year prison sentence, the future of Georgian journalism and democracy remains uncertain.

Police Chief Dgebuadze is moved from his position only a month after Amaghlobeli's sentencing.