DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, DFWatch–A satirical bust of Georgia’s interior minister was placed in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi on Sunday, on the anniversary of the controversial police raids of two nightclubs. The statue’s pedestal was equipped with a red button, which if pressed made a voice say: “Let’s start with an apology.” This is a … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s counter-intelligence service SUS on Tuesday warned the organizers of a May 9 rally to commemorate Soviet victory in World War 2 that they may not use Communist symbols. Such symbols are prohibited by a law Georgia introduced eight years ago called the Freedom Charter. But the organizers of the rally “Immortal Regiment” still … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The director of Georgia main opposition TV company said Monday that the government has launched a new attack against it, and claimed the goal is to kill its editorial policy. Rustavi 2 director Nika Gvaramia also accused billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili of personal involvement in a new lawsuit filed by one of the company’s shareholders, … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The number of visitors from Russia to Georgia has skyrocketed, triggering several kilometer long lines at Zemo Larsi border crossing. Most of the queue is on the Russian side, where at least 600 cars were standing still Saturday, waiting to enter Georgia from North Ossetia – Alania; one of the constituent republics of the … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian weightlifter Tatia Lortkipanidze is suing the coach of the national team for sexual harassment. Lortkipanidze, who won a bronze medal in the 2018 European Championship, is also suing the weightlifting federation for discrimination, she said at a press conference on Thursday. At the press conference, she accused the federation of discrimination by taking her out … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The president of Georgia has become a target of criticism after re-tweeting Donald Trump’s viral tweet in which he derides his possible opponent in the 2020 presidential elections, former Vice President Joe Biden, calling him “sleepy Joe”. President Salome Zurabishvili’s administration had to hold an urgent press conference in which her spokeswoman flatly denied … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of Russian bikers were denied entry to Georgia on Sunday, in an incident resembling the 2017 denial of entry of the infamous Night Wolves. The official reason for denying the bikers entry to the country is that they failed to provide information, or provided false information, about their identity and purpose of … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Russia has once again accused a medical research facility in the republic of Georgia of launching weaponized bugs into territory under its control. “This is a matter of national security,” said deputy chief of Russia’s Security Council, Rashid Nurgaliev, during a public appearance in Tskhinvali, South Ossetia, a disputed territory currently under Russia’s control … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Suspicions grew Monday that a key opposition figure in Abkhazia has been poisoned, after two of his bodyguards were hospitalized in a serious condition, at least one of them with similar symptoms. Although officially, Aslan Bzhania, the main opponent of the incumbent de facto president, and his two guards are being treated for “pneumonia”, … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Salome Zurabishvili calls on CBS to “make the necessary changes” to clear an “irresponsible mistake” in the synopsis of an upcoming episode of the TV series NCIS: New Orleans in which Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia is referred as a Russian province. In the episode “The River Styx, Part II” which will … Read more