Four environmental activists were detained for demonstrating outside Tbilisi City Council on Tuesday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Four environmentalists were detained outside the city council building in Tbilisi on Wednesday. The four were demonstrating against the project Panorama Tbilisi, which involves constructing a new cable car and several buildings in the old […]
(Photo by Italian Navy.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian priest is among those who died after the ferry Norman Atlantic caught fire in the Adriatic Sea on Sunday. A spokesperson for Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said a few minutes ago that the body of priest Ilia Kartozia has been found. […]
Geguti prison camp. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Nearly a hundred prisoners have been pardoned in Georgia, partly in relation to the New Year celebration. Most of the prisoners who are being freed or have their sentences reduced were pardoned by the president’s pardon commission; one of two […]
Verkhny Lars, the only functioning border crossing between Georgia and Russia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov proposes building a new railway as well as a new road connecting the Russian republic with Georgia, which still has tense relations with Russia. Kadyrov’s provocative plan was launched at a press conference in Grozny. […]
The incident took place at the police station in Gldani, north Tbilisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian ombudsman has asked the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate an incident of possible mistreatment by police. On Monday, the Ombudsman’s Office reported that a citizen, whose name is mentioned by initials, was detained […]
(Photo by Italian Navy.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A ferry which caught fire on December 28 in the Adriatic Sea, was carrying eight Georgian citizens. According to Italian media there were 478 people on the ferry, including the crew. At least eight people have been killed in the fire aboard MS Norman Atlantic […]
President Giorgi Margvelashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president says he is ready to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin if bilateral relations between the two states will be on the agenda. A meeting between the leaders of the two countries which broke off relations after fighting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi city court on Saturday turned down a plea from five Defense Ministry officials who asked to be released on bail. The defense team of the five officials who were detained in late October and charged with embezzlement of about USD 2.3 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–One more Georgian citizen has died in the Syrian war. Israphil Tsatiashvili, 18, died in Kobani, Syria, fighting for Islamic State. He is the eighth fighter from Pankisi who has died in Syria. Israphil’s brother Zelimkhan, 21, died about a month […]
Fighting broke out in parliament Friday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Parliamentarians on Friday got into a physical scuffle hitting microphones at each other because they didn’t agree on how to distribute delegates to the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe. The ruling coalition proposed reshuffling […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Armenians from Samtskhe-Javakheti have a dilemma: They feel isolated from Georgian society because they don’t speak the state language, but at the same time they don’t have enough motivation to learn it. Shushana Shirinian, a journalist from […]
The Ministry of Internal Affairs will be reorganized. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The government in Georgia plans to reorganize the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at a press conference Friday that the Interior Ministry will be completely transformed and made […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian parliament on Wednesday decided to halt work at a prehistoric mine that was almost destroyed by a mining company, and to put together a commission to investigate the legality of the ongoing work. The cave complex in Sakdrisi has more […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – 37 famous Georgians, including members of the ruling coalition, stand in bail for release of the five defense ministry officials, detained earlier on corruption charges; 20 of them vouch for their innocence. Along with several popular personalities such […]
Midnight Mass at The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church in Tbilisi. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Several government members attended Midnight Mass at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church in Tbilisi last night. The ceremony started at 23:30 and Giuseppe Pasotto, Apostolic Administrator of the Caucasus, conducted the prayer. […]
Friday prayer at Orta Jame mosque in Batumi. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian government is doubling the funding of four religious denominations operating in the country, apart of the Georgian Patriarchate, the head of the State Agency for Religious Issues said on Wednesday. The four denominations […]
Sign warning about the de facto border. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–South Ossetia on Tuesday released one of two Georgians who were detained for crossing the disputed border. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vasil Khidasheli and Alexandre Shiukashvili were detained on December 20 […]
(Info9.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi was Tuesday “invaded” by workers from a Russian mining company who are angry over the suggestion that they should halt work to protect a 5,400 years old archaeological site. The workers from Sakdrisi in southern Georgia gathered […]
Mikheil Khubutia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian businessman was beaten at Tbilisi restaurant on Saturday and claims it was because of his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mikheil Khubutia, who is a member of Putin’s United Russia Party and has business […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Many employees left their jobs at a Georgian TV station on Monday, as a protest against what they say is interference with the independence of their news reporting. Nino Zhizhilashvili was fired from her position as head of Maestro’s news […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian ombudsman has raised the alarm about bad conditions at Geguti Prison in western Georgia. According to a new report, the safety regulations in place are not sufficient to prevent violence between the prisoners, and there is no program […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Refugees living on an abandoned military base near Batumi broke into the yeard of the Adjara Supreme Council on Monday, demanding to meet with its head. Protesters blocked the road of Chakvi Batumi for ten minutes as sign of protest because […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Youth activists continued to protest against the destruction of an ancient mine in the south of Georgia on Sunday and gathered outside the house of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. The reason was a comment by Garibashvili in a speech […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Two Georgian films, Corn Island and Tangerines, the latter of which represents Estonia, are among the nominees for an Oscar in the category foreign language film. Tangerines is also nominated for a Golden Globe in the best foreign film category. […]
EUMM in action. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM), which was recently prolonged for two more years, has a new head. Kęstutis Jankauskas replaces Toivo Klaar, who was appointed in October 2013. According to an announcement sent out by EUMM, […]
Boris Kiknadze. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–According to the official data, one out of three young Georgians (20-29 years old) is unemployed. But a senior student at the University of Georgia Boris Kiknadze is not one of them. Less than one year ago he established a crowd-funded […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Non-governmental organizations in Georgia demand an inquest into how an important archaeological site was almost completely destroyed by a mining company a few days ago. The 5,400 years old gold mine in Sakdrisi […]
A mosque in Chela, Georgia. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–44 mosques were taken over by Georgia’s Muslim Department two days ago by decision of the State Commission on Religious Issues. According to Zaza Vashakmadze, who is head of the commission, 21 mosques are in the Kakheti region, while 32 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–With 490 votes against 76 and 57 absentees European Parliament Thursday approved EU-Georgia’s Association Agreement and adopted a resolution about Georgia with 491 votes against 84 and 63 absentees. The current Georgian president and his […]
Davit Saganelidze visiting the president of CNEC in Beijing in April 2014. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Head of the parliamentary majority in Georgia is on a visit to China to attract more investments to his country. China is one Georgia’s top five trade partners. The trade between Georgia and China was USD 564 million in all of 2013, while […]
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s PM wants to start consultations about institutional reform of the Prosecutor’s Office which has long been criticized for political bias. Apart from the Prosecutor’s Office itself, the consultations will include law enforcement bodies, […]
Eka Zghuladze, Ukraine’s new deputy interior minister. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian politician was on December 17 officially appointed as deputy interior minister in Ukraine, the same post she held under President Mikheil Saakashvili in her home country a few years ago. Eka Zghuiladze is now first deputy to Interior […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The EU Parliament is voting today over whether to ratify an treaty with Georgia signed in June and already partly in force. The so-called association agreement offers free trade to EU’s vast market in return for incorporating hundreds of EU regulations […]
Giorgi Kldiashvili. TBILISI, DFWatch–The director of an influential Tbilisi-based non-governmental organization says he was detained for illegal possession of a firearm on December 12. Giorgi Kldiashvili, head of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), on Tuesday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–EU’s military observers in Georgia have had their mandate extended for another two years, until December 2016. EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM) was established shortly after the Russia-Georgia war in 2008 to support stabilization […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The news that a prehistoric mine has been damaged by a mining company sparked outrage in Tbilisi Tuesday. People gathered in the evening outside the National Agency on Cultural Heritage Protection to demand the Georgian culture […]
Parliamentary leader of the Georgian Dream coalition, Giorgi Volski. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The governing coalition is discussing whether to dismiss the head of parliament’s finance and budget committee, because he is a member of a party that left the coalition. The parliamentary majority believes it would be a mistake to have a representative […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia looked set to continue growing its export this year, but a 35% drop in November has brought the export down to same level as 2013, according to new preliminary data from the National Statistics Department. Georgia’s export in the month […]
Fourteen people were detained earlier this year during clashes in Mokhe. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Public Defender is considering checking the progress of a new commission tasked with studying a conflict around a mosque in Mokhe, a village in southern Georgia. Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili says he thinks people’s trust […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili visited Turkmenistan on Monday and signed four agreements dealing with as diverse issues as economy, culture, trade and tourism. People travelling with him say the business leaders in Turkmenistan […]
Mikheil Dzadzamia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A former head of shift of Zurab Zhvania’s security detail, who was detained in the new investigation into the prime minister’s death in 2005, was Sunday released from preliminary detention on a 2,000 lari bail (nearly USD 1,090). Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania […]
If appointed, Eka Zghuladze will work on reforming the Ukrainian police. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One more former official from Mikheil Saakashvili’s government has been granted Ukrainian citizenship after being proposed for a high post in the new Ukrainian government. Eka Zghuladze, a former deputy interior minister in Georgia, is now candidate […]
Sakdrisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The influential Georgian patriarch on Sunday criticized a company which is excavating an ancient mine in the southern part of the country, and called on the government to intervene. Mining company RMG Gold on Saturday resumed work at Sakdrisi, […]
(Photo by Ministry of Education and Science.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The current bilingual education program does not serve its purpose, according to Armenians in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia. A specialist from the Ministry of Education and Science agrees with the critique and says that the current program […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Mining work resumed at Sakdrisi on Saturday, a site where scientists and environmentalist groups say is an ancient gold mine with invaluable artifacts from prehistoric man. The controversy about the mine near Bolnisi in the southern part of Georgia has involved […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Finance Ministry’s investigative service detained one more Defense Ministry official on Saturday. Bakhva Surmanidze was detained for accepting a 400 lari (USD 218) bribe. He is head of the purchasing department at the Giorgi Abramashvili […]
Oleg Melnikov. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A former officer in Georgia’s domestic intelligence who was involved in the 2006 murder of Sandro Girgvliani has beenreleased from prison. Oleg Melnikov, formerly an officer of the Constitutional Security Department or ‘Kudi’, was released […]
(Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A film by a Georgian filmmaker has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. Tangerines, or Mandariinid, is a Georgian-Estonian production written and directed by the Georgian Zaza Urushadze. Producer of the film is Ivo Felt and it starrs Georgian […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–South Ossetia may open its border with Russia and even seek some form of closer association, the breakaway region’s leader says. de facto president Leonid Tibilov said Wednesday that a ‘treaty of collaboration’ with Russia is likely to be signed […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two demonstrations were held in Georgia Wednesday in support of the Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who was recently detained. Ismayilova was placed in preliminary detention in Baku on December 5, after being subject to a travel ban earlier […]
The Moduli building, where many ‘Kudi’ interrogations took place. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The government in Georgia is beginning a debate about restructuring the Ministry of Internal Affairs and make the domestic intelligence a separate service. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said this after a government session on Wednesday. Currently, […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The currencies of Georgia and Armenia are recovering after a slump of more than 10% in the last few weeks. The sight of money exchanges trading US dollars for more than two Georgian lari (GEL) set off a fervent debate in Tbilisi. Many blamed […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A public funeral was held Tuesday for four victims of a plane crash during the Abkhazia war more than twenty years ago. The four were on a plane that was about to land in Sukhumi September 22, 1993, to evacuate head of state Eduard Shevardnadze. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The government in Georgia is working on a new bill that will punish people for joining terrorist organizations abroad. Spokesperson for the Interior Ministry tells DF Watch that the details of the new bill will be known after a draft has been sent […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A 41-year old woman was killed by her husband in Kakheti on Sunday. According to local media, a 41 year old man first shot his wife and later ran her over with his car. She died instantly. Police detained the suspect at the crime scene. He is charged […]
Sarah Delys is a criminologist working for Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre in Tbilisi. Last week hundreds of train workers went on strike after negotiations to improve working conditions and raise salaries failed. The strikers demand overtime compensation, new salary rules and a 13th month salary payment [1]. Leaders of the trade union say the railway […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Large quantities of undeclared gold has been seized by Georgian customs at the Sarpi border crossing with Turkey. The gold jewelry which had a total weight of 466.05 grams was found in the belongings of a Georgian citizen who was coming […]
(Defense Ministry.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Margvelashvili has asked parliament for approval to again send soldiers to the Central African Republic, after the EU extended its mission there for another four months. The president’s order was signed on December 2, and has been received […]
Defense Minister Mindia Janelidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former President Mikheil Saakashvili yesterday said that Georgian officers will be serving in Ukraine’s armed forces and have been promised Ukrainian citizenship. But Defense Minister Mindia Janelidze rejects this. He says there hasn’t been a single […]
A mosque in Pankisi Gorge, Georgia. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One more Georgian citizen from the Pankisi gorge has died during clashes in the city of Kobane, Syria, fighting for Islamic State. This is the eighth Pankisi man to die in the Syrian war. The victim’s family is avoiding comments, but relatives […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A man who was injured in a fire at a market in Batumi died in hospital Sunday night. Police have detained one person in connection with the fire. Davit Putkaradze, 51, was owner of one of the shops at the market. According to local media, he had lung […]
Journalist Nini Metreveli and her cameraman were detained by private security at Sports Palace. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A journalist was detained by organizers of a concert by the Russian singer Grigory Leps on Sunday. The incident led to a protest rally. Maestro TV journalist Nini Metreveli and her cameraman were locked up in a room with a guard for asking […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two people died in a fire at a market in Batumi on Sunday. One person is in hospital in a critical condition. The victims are a married couple in their fifties, Temur and Nani Rizhvadze, while the third injured person is Davit Putkaradze, 51. […]
Babushara airport, Abkhazia. TBILISI, DFWatch–Four bodies found in a cemetery in Abkhazia have been identified. The bodies belong to the same family and the four died in a plane crash during the war in 1992-1993. According to Refugee Minister Sozar Subari, the victims are twins Nukri […]
Irakli Garibashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A relative of the prime minister left his position as executive secretary of the Georgian Dream party, the largest member of the ruling coalition. According to a statement issued by GD on Friday, Zviad Jankarashvili left his seat by his own volition. […]
Arguably the most influential person in Georgia, the Patriarch Ilia II, does not agree that a woman should be equal to a man in a family. Instead “she must be respected by her husband. She [a wife] has been always holding high authority in Georgia, and so it shall […]
Regina Jegorova-Askerova. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–How attractive is Georgia as a country for young students looking for a career path? At the moment, there are 19 public and 47 private higher education institutions in Georgia. According to the National Statistics Office, there were 2,297 foreign students […]
Bidzina Ivanishvili at the National Library on Thursday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–On Thursday, Georgia’s richest person and godfather of the governing coalition again lashed out at Irakli Alasania, calling him ‘a weak manager’ who has made an ‘ignorant statement’. Alasania was recently dismissed and claims it was […]
The river Mtkvari (Kura). (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Water levels have fallen drastically the last few days in the biggest river in the South Caucasus, causing massive fish die-off. The Mtkvari originates in Turkey, runs eastward across Georgia and Azerbaijan, emptying into the Caspian Sea. […]
James Appathurai. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A visiting NATO envoy warns Georgia that if the prosecution of former officials is seen as being politically motivated, this will slow down the country’s integration with the alliance. James Appathurai said it is important not only to avoid […]
“The fact is that we faced certain problems regarding Ukraine,” majority leader Davit Saganelidze says. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia may replace its ambassador to Ukraine after a Saakashvili era official was appointed as Ukrainian health minister. Wednesday there were reports that the government plans to replace its ambassador to Ukraine with Zviad Jankarashvili, […]
The Corruption Perception Index is published annually by Transparency International. TBILISI, DFWatch–Transparency International (TI) ranked Georgia 50th among 175 countries in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report. Georgia got 52 points out of the maximum 100. In the past, it scored 52 in 2012 (51st place) and 49 in 2013 (55th place). […]
Aleksandre Kvitashvili, Ukraine’s new health minister, had the same position in Georgia during Saakashvili. (Photo by Tbilisi State University.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi takes it as a slap in the face that Ukraine has appointed a former member of government from Georgia as health minister. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, agreed to appoint Alxandre Kvitashvili, a former Georgian health minister, […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of NGOs based in Tbilisi warn that they are going on the offensive against the country’s parliament, which recently overturned a veto by President Margvelashvili against giving the Interior Ministry control over the means to conduct secret surveillance. […]
Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The ombudsman in Georgia on Monday published a report which criticizes the authorities for holding back information and not properly investigating a border shooting in 2012. When the several days long standoff ended on the border with Russia in late […]
The Ministry of Internal Affairs. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian parliament on Sunday overturned the president’s veto and approved the a surveillance bill which gives the Interior Ministry direct access to communication operators’ networks and to eavesdrop on citizens. 82 MPs voted in favor […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A proposal in the Georgian parliament to introduce sanctions against Russia has failed to achieve enough votes. Only 36 MPs backed the proposal on Thursday, which was put forth by deputies from the National Movement, the party of former […]
