Participants in a march in Tbilisi demanded freedom of the media.

A march demanding media freedom took place in Tbilisi on the 521st day of daily protests. Those gathered demanded the release of political prisoners, including Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the Batumelebi and Netgazeti publications.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on the 520th day of continuous protests, activists from the Golos movement in Tbilisi demanded free meals for public school students, while participants in a rally outside parliament called for the purchase of medication for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Today's traditional Saturday march is dedicated to supporting the media. Participants unfurled a banner reading "Freedom for Mzia, freedom for political prisoners." They also brought posters with various messages, as well as flags of Georgia, Ukraine, the US, and the EU.

In addition, citizens held banners with an image of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, expressing solidarity with the detained journalist.

The march participants joined those gathered near the parliament. Citizens have been protesting outside the legislative body for over a year, demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of those detained during the protests.

May 3rd marks International Media Freedom Day, and this is precisely what today's citizens' march was dedicated to, writes Netgazeti.

According to a video posted by Publika, the march on the 521st day of daily protests attracted a large number of participants – protesters walked along the roadway, holding posters, including one demanding the release of Mzia Amaglobeli.

In early August 2025, a court in Batumi sentenced Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, to two years in prison for slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze. Amaglobeli's charges were reduced during the final stage of her trial; the original charge carried a sentence of four to seven years in prison.

On the night of January 12, 2025, 10 people were detained in Batumi, including Mzia Amaglobeli. Amaglobeli was arrested for posting a poster calling for a general strike on a wall. When Amaglobeli was released, she found herself in a stampede where an incident occurred involving the city's police chief, Irakli Dgebuadze. According to a silent video published by the Imedi TV channel, Amaglobeli, surrounded and held by police, said something to Dgebuadze, who responded and turned away. Amaglobeli sharply rebuked him and slapped him. After this, the journalist was detained again, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Mzia Amaglobeli Case: Circumstances of the Arrest and the Campaign in Defense of the Journalist".

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces carried out violent dispersals of the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Thousands of people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. "Caucasian Knot" has prepared the report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".