The Kutaisi Court of Appeals has rejected the appeal filed by Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the Batumelebi and Netgazeti media outlets, upholding the two-year prison sentence issued earlier by the Batumi City Court. The ruling was announced today.

Amaglobeli’s defense team had sought to overturn the Batumi City Court’s verdict and secure her release, while prosecutors argued for a harsher penalty, asking the Appeals Court to increase her sentence to between four and seven years. Amaglobeli attended the hearing in person.

On August 6, the Batumi City Court sentenced her to two years in prison after reclassifying the initial charge. The court changed the accusation from Article 353¹, which pertains to assault on a police officer, to Article 353, Part 1—covering resistance, threats, or violence against public order officers or other state representatives.

Amaglobeli was first detained on administrative charges on January 11 during a protest near the Batumi Police Headquarters. Although she was initially released on a written pledge, she was later re-arrested on allegations of assaulting a police officer, a charge carrying a potential sentence of four to seven years.