BATUMI, DFWatch–One Sunday in December, Muslims are cramming into the Orta Jame mosque in Batumi. Despite a three decades long effort to get permission to build a second mosque, they still have only one mosque to go to despite the city’s sizable Muslim population.
DFWatch staff
Saakashvili’s UNM splits in three factions in parliament
TBILISI, DFWatch–The party that ran the former Soviet republic Georgia for nearly a decade has split into three factions in parliament after a long internal feud over the role of its former leader Mikheil Saakashvili.
For a few days, there was doubt over whether what
Gazprom to switch to monetary transit fee for using Georgia pipeline
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia has agreed to less favourable conditions for allowing its territory to be used by Russian energy giant Gazprom to transit natural gas to Armenia. The resulting deal is is expected to be met with harsh criticism from the opposition and local energy experts.
EU parliament committee approves visa-free access for Georgians
TBILISI, DFWatch–3.7 million Georgian nationals came one step closer to getting visa-free access to EU’s vast borderless Schengen area on Tuesday, as members of the LIBE committee in the EU parliament added their seal of approval to the plan.
The Committee on Civil Liberties,
Republican Party presents legislation to combat violence against women
TBILISI, DFWatch–In the former Soviet republic Georgia, the Republican Party has proposed legislation that will make femicide a separate crime – a gender-based hate crime which is causing alarm in the country.
The Republicans, a party formed by Soviet dissenters in the 1970s,
Party which reformed Georgia during a decade breaks apart
TBILISI, DFWatch–Three months long infighting in Georgia’s main opposition party concluded with dozens of members announcing their departure and formation of a new opposition party on Thursday.
38 heads of municipal and regional organizations
Police move on libertarians for NYE cannabis planting stunt
TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in the former Soviet republic Georgia entered the office of a libertarian party on Wednesday, seizing 84 cannabis plants that were planted eleven days earlier in a publicity stunt to promote the decriminalization of drugs.
The three officers spent
Breakaway South Ossetia prepares for presidential elections in spring
TBILISI, DFWatch–Campaigning will soon begin for the election to become new de facto president of Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia.
The secessionist parliament of the region must schedule the date of the election and start the campaign before January 29.
Breakup of Saakashvili’s UNM party seems inevitable
TBILISI, DFWatch–Leading figures in Georgia’s main opposition party the United National Movement (UNM) seemed to acknowledge that a split is inevitable in comments made on Tuesday.
“This party is no longer united. When people don’t say hello
Son of former opposition leader charged with assaulting Rustavi 2 director
TBILISI, DFWatch–The son of a former opposition politician in Georgia was Monday officially charged with having assaulted the director of the largest opposition TV channel.
The suspect Rati Gachechiladze (29) pleaded guilty and was released on 5,000 laris (USD 1,800) bail.