A Georgian journalist, well-known for her criticism of the government, was hospitalized today, on the 24th day of a hunger strike she began to protest her arrest, doctors said.
Mzia Amaghlobeli, who runs the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, began her hunger strike on the day she was arrested, January 12.
She is accused of slapping a police chief in the Black Sea city of Batoumi.
But she understands that the reasons for her arrest are political. Human rights groups in the country called it disproportionate.
"She is hospitalized and receiving care," Zourab Chkhaidze, director of the Vivamedi clinic in Tbilisi, told reporters, adding that "she is still on hunger strike and needs continuous hospital care."
Her lawyers claim that the Batoumi police chief she is accused of slapping, Irakli Dgebuadze, had insulted her, tried to physically attack her at the police station and spat in her face.
They added that the journalist was mistreated while in custody.
Georgia has been the scene of major protests since the Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October's elections and suspended negotiations for accession to the European Union.
Hundreds of protesters, as well as several human rights activists, journalists and politicians have been detained since the demonstrations began.
On Sunday, as thousands of protesters sought to block a highway entrance to Tbilisi, police arrested the head of the liberal pro-European Akhali party, Nika Melia, and former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, an opposition figure.
