DFWatch staff 
Azerbaijani journalist Khayal Azizov, who has fled from his country, blames the Azerbaijani authorities in illegal persecution and psychological oppression in Georgia.
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Syrian government on Tuesday recognized the two Georgian breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states. In response, Tbilisi severed diplomatic relations with Damascus.
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Orthodox Church on Thursday denounced the largest private TV channel in the country, and asked its clergy to stop giving interviews to or participate in any of its programs.
The reason for the unprecedented step was that Rustavi 2 has engaged in ‘blasphemy’
GALI, DFWatch–For almost a year and a half, people in Gali, in the south of breakaway Abkhazia, have been waiting for a new checkpoint to open on the administrative border line to Georgia proper, so far in vain.
TBILISI, DFWatch–After seven years of delay, Russia has finally inked an agreement with the Swiss company SGS to carry out monitoring of goods passing through the border with Georgia.
SGS will carry out customs monitoring
TBILISI, DFWatcch–Kutaisi in central Georgia will be connected by direct flights to some of Europe’s biggest cities this week for as little as 25 euros.
Hungarian budget airline Wizzair is launching new flights out of Kutaisi International Airport.
Already from Thursday, there are new connections
TBILISI, DFWatch–Organizers have called off a gay rights rally in Tbilisi out of security concerns. The rally should have been held in front of the government building in Tbilisi to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).
“Considering all existing
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi youth outraged by police raids of two night clubs called off their two day long protest Sunday night after the interior minister publicly apologized for police brutality and promised an investigation.
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is bringing in stricter rules for acquiring permanent residency, in order to stem the tide of irregular immigration, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has said.
According to the amendments submitted by the government, foreign nationals
TBILISI, DFWatch–Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili was formally elected head of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Friday, at a grandiose party convention resembling those held by the Communist party during the Soviet Union.
Ivanishvili retired from politics in 2013,