Imprisoned Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the local Georgian publications Batumelebi and Netgazeti, has been named a laureate of the annual Forum 2000 Prize. The awards ceremony took place on October 12 in Prague. Forum 2000 is a foundation and an international conference of the same name, held annually in the Czech Republic. The organization was founded in 1996 on the initiative of Czech President Václav Havel, Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel.

The Forum 2000 International Prize, established in 2021, recognizes outstanding civic courage and responsibility. It is awarded to individuals or institutions that prioritize the protection of democracy, human rights, and civil liberties above personal interests. The laureates are selected through a three-stage selection process. Amaglobeli was awarded the prize as a symbol of the "Georgian Resistance Movement" for her courage and sense of responsibility. "Mzia Amaglobeli, whose work is dedicated to protecting human rights, fighting corruption, and promoting social justice, has been recognized as the first female political prisoner and prisoner of conscience in Georgia since independence," reads a statement from Forum 2000.

In Amaglobeli's place, the award was received by Tamar Rukhadze, acting directors of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, and lawyer Saba Brachveli. The ceremony was attended by Georgia's fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili. The 29th Forum 2000 conference was held in Prague from October 12 to 14, 2025.

The ruling Georgian Dream party reacted sharply to the awarding of the World Press Freedom Hero award to journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who was convicted of slapping a police officer. The party attributed the decision to "the perverted standards of the Deep State". On August 6, Batumi City Court Judge Nino Sahelashvili sentenced Mzia Amaglobeli to two years in prison. She was initially charged with assaulting a police officer, but the court reduced the charge to Part 1 of Article 353, which pertains to resisting or threatening a police officer and is punishable by a fine or up to three years in prison.