Former Adjara leader’s shooting still a mystery
TBILISI, DFWatch--A growing wave of speculation is surrounding the case of Tornike Rizhvadze, the former head of government in Georgia’s Adjara region, who is currently recovering in a Turkish hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest. As official channels await the outcome of an investigation, opposition figures and political commentators allege a web of pressure, blackmail, and systemic coercion behind the incident. Rizhvadze [...]
‘We don’t see a tourism boom’ – Georgia’s hotel and restaurant owners question 7% growth claim
TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia is experiencing a record-breaking year in tourism, according to the government, but some among the industry are wondering why they are not seeing the same trend. With over 2.3 million international tourist visits [...]
News
Outgoing U.S. Ambassador says Georgia’s GD government sent Washington ‘threatening’ letter
Robin Dunnigan. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan, who recently announced her retirement, said the tone of a private letter sent to Washington by Georgian Dream leadership was "threatening, insulting, and unserious," and that it [...]
Georgian parliament speaker accuses EU-funded groups of undermining elections
TBILISI, DFWatch--The Speaker of Georgia’s Parliament has accused European Union-funded organizations of preparing to disrupt the country’s upcoming local elections. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Tuesday that"organizations funded by the EU embassy are preparing to [...]
Questions swirl after former Adjara leader shot in the chest
Levan Ratiani, director of the First University Clinic in Tbilisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The former head of the government of Georgia’s autonomous Adjara region remains in a serious but stable condition after being hospitalized with a [...]
Low-income families hurt most by rising inflation in Georgia
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--After months of stable prices, inflation in Georgia is once again on the rise, with food costs driving the sharpest increases. The national inflation rate reached 4% year-on-year in June, up from near-zero [...]
Two opposition parties decide to participate in Georgia’s upcoming elections, triggering resignations
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Tensions are escalating within Georgia’s opposition as two parties declared they will participate in the upcoming local elections on October 4. The decision by the parties For Georgia, led by former Prime Minister [...]
Former Adjara leader in critical condition after gunshot wound
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The former head of Georgia’s Adjara regional government, Tornike Rizhvadze, remains in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in what may have been a suicide attempt. Rizhvadze was first [...]
Georgia’s president offers pardon to opposition leaders if they play along
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The opposition party "Lelo for Strong Georgia" has announced its decision to participate in the October 4 local elections, splitting from a bloc of parties calling for an electoral boycott. The announcement came [...]
Georgia’s ruling GD party denies reports it voted for OSCE resolution condemning its democratic backsliding
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is rejecting claims that it supported a critical resolution passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto on July 3. The resolution, which includes a condemnation of [...]
Dire prospects for Georgia’s small-scale farmers
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia is facing a demographic and agricultural crisis as more than 100,000 rural residents have left villages over the last decade. Between 2014 and 2024, the rural population fell by about 6.3%, dropping [...]
Georgia: How to Be Rational and Coherent in That Disbalanced World? – A Conversation with Professor Neil Macfarlane
Tedo Japaridze I acquainted with Neil Macfarlane since the last century: it was 1990 when we met each other for the first time at some round table held by the Georgian MFA to discuss the [...]
Europe and Georgia
Georgian parliament speaker accuses EU-funded groups of undermining elections
TBILISI, DFWatch--The Speaker of Georgia’s Parliament has accused European Union-funded organizations of preparing to disrupt the country’s upcoming local elections. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Tuesday [...]
Minorities
Georgian Dream is preparing a bill against “ideology of pseudo-liberals” and “wilful propaganda of non-traditional lifestyle”
TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgian Dream is in the process of preparing a legislative initiative to "protect society from pseudo-liberal ideology" and its inevitable harmful consequences." The country may face such a situation when "we will be asked [...]
NGO News
Georgian NGOs, media snub foreign agent law, suspend cooperation with government
Tbilisi, DFWatch-Over a hundred non-governmental and media organizations declare their open disobedience to the foreign influence draft law initiated by the Georgian authorities and suspend all cooperation with the government [...]
GD and far-right Conservative Movement lead: TI report on party donations
The Conservative Movement, a far-right pro-Russian political party notorious for violence against LGBTQ activists and journalists, was second only to the ruling Georgian Dream in the last quarter of 2022 [...]
Civic groups in Georgia campaign to help Ukrainian refugees left out in the street
(Razom.ge) Georgian civic groups and activists have launched a fundraising campaign to provide temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees who were left out in the street after the end of state [...]