Monthly Archives: October 2017

Rally in Sokhumi to demand action against drug abuse epidemic

By | October 29th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

(Abkhazinform.com) TBILISI, DFWatch–A campaign to demand action against drug addiction brought a large crowd out in the streets of Sokhumi on Thursday, under the slogan “Abkhazia without Drugs”. The people who had gathered on Sergey Bagapsh […]

President Margvelashvili questions the benefits of total GD victory

By | October 26th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–The will of the Georgian people was expressed in the local elections, but it is questionable whether a total win by one political party will be beneficial for the country, President Giorgi Margvelashvili said in his first comments on the local elections, which were held on Saturday. […]

Georgia denies South Ossetia’s claim to have opened representation in Catalonia

By | October 25th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , , , |

Dimitri Medoev (center) meets with members of Italy’s “Northern League”, Eliseo Bertolasi and Palmarino Zoccatelli. (South Ossetia foreign ministry.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian breakaway region claims it opened an official representation in Catalonia during a visit by its unofficial foreign minister. Georgia rejects the claim and says the visit was purely private in nature. […]

Former AC Milan player elected Tbilisi mayor

By | October 22nd, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: |

Former professional football player Kakha Kaladze has been elected mayor of Tbilisi, representing the ruling party Georgian Dream. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former AC Milan football player and Georgia’s current vice Prime Minister Kakha Kaladze has won a decisive victory in the election for Tbilisi mayor with 54 percent of the votes, according to an exit poll at 6pm. The exit polls was carried out by Edison Media Research. […]

Abkhazia shuts down elementary school in Georgian populated region

By | October 21st, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

The Georgian school in the village Tagiloni, 9 km from Gali, which was closed recently. (DFWatch.) GALI, DFWatch–Breakaway authorities in Abkhazia have closed a public school in the region’s southern district which has a predominantly ethnic Georgian population. De facto authorities told school principals in Gali on Wednesday that the school in Tagiloni, a the village near Gali, […]

Gunman wounds four ahead of Georgia’s local elections

By | October 20th, 2017|Categories: Crime|Tags: , , |

People gathered outside the hospical in Marneuli, where the wounded Georgian Dream members were being treated. (1tv.ge.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A gunman opened fire at a local office of Georgia’s ruling party Thursday night, wounding four people, two days before nationwide local elections that will gage the government’s hold on power. The attack, which wounded a candidate for Georgian Dream, […]

Georgian schools in Akhalgori facing a language dilemma

By | October 20th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: |

Anatoly Bibilov, de facto president of South Ossetia. AKHALGORI, DFWatch–As eight Georgian schools in Akhalgori, South Ossetia have fully switched to Russian as the language of instruction, teachers find it hard to teach and are afraid of losing their jobs. As most pupils don’t know Russian, this may make their families leave Akhalgori and settle […]

CSOs Seek Involvement in Public Defender’s Selection Process

By | October 19th, 2017|Categories: NGO news|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

We would like to respond to the statements related to the selection of Georgian Public Defender and call on the Parliament of Georgia to ensure civil society participation in the process of selecting the main human rights defender of the country. It is well-known to everyone that according to legislation, a Public Defender may be nominated [...]

Either school or hijab – “my daughters will not go to school without hijab!”

By | October 18th, 2017|Categories: Minorities|Tags: , , , , |

According to official statistics 10,7% of the Georgian population – about 399,000 persons – are Muslims. 333,000 of them are ethnic Azerbaijani. Part of them thinks that in accordance to the Muslim tradition, a girl shall wear a hijab over 14. “I want to learn and become a teacher. If I do not study, I know in future I will have hard life. I was not allowed into the school because I am wearing a hijab. I do not know what will happen now. […]

Circassians prevented from attending jailed activist’s court hearing

By | October 16th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–The regional court in Russia’s Krasnodar region upheld the decision made by the lower court to imprison a popular 67-year-old Circassian civic activist, while his supporters were barred from attending the trial on Monday. […]

South Ossetia declares Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘extremists’

By | October 16th, 2017|Categories: Minorities|Tags: , , |

Sonya Khubaeva. TBILISI, DFWatch–The supreme court in the breakaway region South Ossetia has ruled that Jehovah’s Witnesses is an extremist organization and banned its activities. When the ruling comes into force in a few days, Jehovah’s Witnesses members will face up to 10 years […]

UNM mobilizes thousands against ‘oligarch’ Ivanishvili’s property takeover

By | October 16th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Several thousand supporters of Georgia’s opposition National Movement party demonstrated Sunday outside the home of a former prime minister whom they call an oligarch and accuse of taking over valuable properties. […]

Leaving behind “post-Soviet” politics in Georgia

By | October 12th, 2017|Categories: Opinion|Tags: , , |

For years democratization is seen as a top down process of constitutional engineering, nation-building, and market reforms. Until the early 2000s, states in former Eastern Europe saw their membership of NATO and the European Union as the final stage of consolidating their democracy. […]

Opposition clash with police as Tbilisi assembly OKs Ivanishvili land deals

By | October 11th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–The city assembly in Tbilisi, the Sakrebulo, on Tuesday approved the handover of two land lots to former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili for the symbolic price of one Georgian lari. While the vote went ahead, a ruckus of shouting and pushing took place outside, […]

Abduction of Mukhtarli Abated Trust of Ethnic Azerbaijani Population towards Georgian Authorities

By | October 11th, 2017|Categories: Opinion|Tags: , , , |

Khayal Azizov Ethnic Azerbaijani people make up 6.3% of the Georgian population that is 233,000 persons. It is the biggest ethnic minority community in the country though their voice is least heard here. […]

Circassians protesting against jailing of remembrance day organizer

By | October 10th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

Abkhazians hold a rally in solidarity with Ruslan Gvashev in Sokhumi. (Anaid Gogoryan/RFE/RL.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, Circassians, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Kabardians and Shapsughs continue to protest against the persecution of a 67-year-old activist regarded as a national hero and the most prominent civil rights worker. […]

PACE president resigns amid controversy about Syria trip

By | October 10th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , , , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–A Council of Europe official resigned on Monday after a controversial visit to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. Pedro Agramunt announced his resignation as president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in a letter on Monday. […]

Wizz Air launches flights from Kutaisi to Rome, Paris, Barcelona and Prague

By | October 6th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–The Hungarian low-cost airline which is already very popular in Georgia may see its popularity rise to new heights after it announced new routes to Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Prague. “We are truly delighted to announce that starting […]

Abkhazia appeals to UNESCO for help to save cultural monuments

By | October 5th, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–The de facto authorities in Abkhazia have asked the United Nation’s agency for cultural heritage, UNESCO, help protect historic buildings within territory they control. In a video published a few days ago, Georgia is accused of having a “destructive” policy […]

Six opposition activists detained outside Tbilisi City Hall

By | October 3rd, 2017|Categories: News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia detained six opposition activists on Monday, as supporters of the National Movement rallied outside Tbilisi City Hall to demand an immediate halt in the handover of two prime land plots to a company owned […]

Ethnic Armenians clash with police in south of Georgia

By | October 2nd, 2017|Categories: Minorities|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Ethnic Armenians clashed with police in a village in the south of Georgia on Saturday after locals attempted to place a religious stone in the yard of Kumurdo temple. The tense situation in the village Kumurdo calmed down on Sunday but the brief street […]