A protest is underway in front of the Batumi City Court, where the founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Mzia Amaghlobeli, was recently ordered to pre-trial detention.

Along with media representatives, politicians and human rights activists have also joined the protest.

Amaghlobeli was remanded in custody by Batumi City Court Judge Nino Sakhelashvili.

She was detained on January 12, and is facing criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a police officer. In a ruling that has sparked concern among her supporters, Judge Sakhelashvili rejected a bail request of GEL 100,000 GEL put forward by her defense team, ordering her pre-trial detention.

Amaghlobeli is charged under Article 353 Prima of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which penalizes the assault of a police officer with a sentence ranging from 4 to 7 years in prison.