The Foundation for Justice, founded by George and Amal Clooney, announced today that TrialWatch, which provides free legal aid in support of free speech around the world, intends to monitor the trial of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, according to a statement released by the organization.

The foundation said, “Amaglobeli, who co-founded the award-winning online media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested on the evening of January 11, when she posted a sticker on the fence of a local police station calling for a general strike — a gesture in support of ongoing protests that have swept through the country since November 2024. Upon her release on bail shortly after midnight on 12 January, there was an altercation with police as people had gathered to demand her release, leading to her immediate re-arrest, for ‘resisting, threatening or using violence against a protector of public order or other representative of the authorities’ (Article 353 of the Georgian Criminal Code). She faces up to seven years in prison and has had three requests for bail denied solely on the basis of the prosecution’s assertions, without due consideration of the reasons for bail put forward by the defense.

There have also been reports that Amaglobeli was threatened and spat on by the chief of the city police following her arrest. To protest her arrest and the treatment of other protesters in Georgia, Amaglobeli went on hunger strike for 38 days while in detention.

In Georgia, the government’s response to mass protests since November 2024––characterized by police violence, maltreatment of detainees, and targeting of journalists––has drawn international criticism and alarm. Georgia’s Center for Media, Information, and Social Research documented more than 90 incidents in which law enforcement officers assaulted media workers, both verbally and physically, or obstructed their work.

TrialWatch will produce a Fairness Report grading the case against international and regional fair trial standards after the end of Amaglobeli’s trial,” the statement reads.

According to the Clooney Foundation, TrialWatch will produce a Fairness Report grading the case against international and regional fair trial standards after the end of Amaglobeli’s trial.