The new leader of the Adjara region in southwestern Georgia is Archil Khabadze, former Adjara regional director of Cartu Bank, which is affiliated with the new prime minister. Three candidates were considered for the post: Jemal Putkaradze, member of the Supreme […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Up to 300 prisoners will be released before serving their term, Georgia’s new Prison Minister orders. Sozar Subari, former Public Defender who recently was appointed as Prison Minister, on Sunday visited prison hospital No 18. After seeing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara on Sunday held its first session, with all 21 members attending. As a result of the parliamentary election on October 1, the Georgian Dream coalition received 57.6 percent of votes in Adjara, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s new defense minister says he will take immediate measures to bring the ministry out of a crisis after he discovered that it has a USD 68 million deficit. Defense Minister Irakli Alasania Friday visited the ministry and said that his new […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The audit agency in Georgia wants the chair of the Public Broadcaster to be changed, while groups demand reforms in GPB to return it to people and free broadcaster from government control. Online newspaper Ambebi.ge conducted a […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Production has been restored at Georgia’s famous mineral water plant Bojomi, after several day strike has finished. There are two plants in Borjomi, which is located in the southern Georgia’s resort town with the same name. Employees of the company […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — New nine month figures from 2012 show a 16 percent increase in foreign trade turnover compared to last year, equal to USD 7 595 million in total. The numbers do not include informal trade. According to Georgia’s National Statistics Department […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The day after a new government was approved by parliament in Georgia, it is already clear that the case of one of the most controversial deaths in the country’s history will be reopened. The brother of the late Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania was recently […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Tbilisi City Council has solved the issue of trash collection fee, which is calculated based on how much electricity a household consumes. On Thursday, the council decided to reduce the trash tariff to half for five months from November till May. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says the intelligence service will be separated from the interior ministry and be set up as an independent state agency. “This service will have as function to find secret information, analyze, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The outgoing and new government disagree over the size of the state coffers. Former government members claim that there is more than two billion lari, nearly USD 1.2 billion, in the state coffers. But new Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri says there […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The new parliamentary majority plans to study the case of Givi Targamadze. He is a member of the National Movement party who according to Russian media has been helping the opposition in Russia to organize revolution. A few days ago, Russian media […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The famous Georgian mineral water plant Borjomi is still paralyzed by strike, as railway workers and dockers are also warning of protest action. Workers at Georgian Railway yesterday warned that they would stop the trains for a couple of hours, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The new government in Georgia wants to do away with administrative detention. This is a form of incarceration left over from the Soviet Union which allows authorities to put away citizens as a preventive measure without going through normal court procedures, and has […]
The future Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili on Wednesday visited parliament to meet with the minority and answer their critical questions about the future plans and goals of the government and the government’s plan. Most of the questions were about the time […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Bidzina Ivanishvivli, leader of the Georgian Dream coalition and future Prime Minister, says he will leave politics in a year and a half but continue to lead his coalition after that as a member of civil society. The coalition leader on Wednesday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The results of the recent parliamentary election encouraged workers all over Georgia to protest against their harsh conditions and demand improvements. Next to join in are the workers at a plant in Borjomi processing the well-known mineral water […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia may reconsider the size of its contingent in Afghanistan after 2014. Candidate for new foreign minister Maia Panjikidze does not exclude that the new government will make changes to Georgia’s participation in the NATO-led ISAF operation […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — There have been sharp exchanges between the majority and minority just three days after the new parliament started a new season. The candidate for foreign minister today visited the parliamentary committees on euro integration and foreign affairs. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Negotiations are continuing Tuesday between Georgia and the EU about an association agreement. This is the eleventh session, and the talks are talking place at the government office. Currently Georgia is negotiating with the EU on three separate […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The worker protests are continuing in Georgia after the election. After a week they can note a slight progress. It is more than five days since workers at the energy company Telasi went on strike asking to bring back about 125 employees who were […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili on Monday officially presented the new government list to parliament together with a new government program entitled ‘For a Strong, Democratic and United Georgia’. In accordance with procedures, there will be […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Several powerful ministers in the Saakashvili government have not been seen in the country since the first results of the parliament election became known. Dimitry Sashkin, who lately served as defense minister, today posted an appeal on his […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Five members of parliament (MPs) who were elected as representing the National Movement party declined to join their party in the parliamentary minority on Sunday. This means that there will be less obstacles for the Bidzina Ivanishvili-led […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s eighth parliamentary assembly has three factions from the majority and three from the minority. 15 parliamentary committees were established. The Georgian Dream coalition, which is the new parliament majority, on Sunday set up three […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Groups in Georgia ask the new government to reconsider its candidate for refugee minister, after criticism for making racist statements. A week ago Bidzina Ivanishvili presented his list of names for the future government. One of them was Davit […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The candidate for prime minister in Georgia has presented his list of government ministers to the president. The Georgian Dream coalition won the right to form government after its victory in the parliamentary election. President Mikheil […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Groups of youth demonstrated today in front of the new parliament building where the eighth Georgian parliament assembly began its 2012-2013 season on Sunday. A number of students and youth came to Kutaisi joined by local students to protest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The eighth Georgian parliament Sunday elected Republican Party leader Davit Usupashvili as speaker of parliament by 88 votes for, none against and 62 abstaining. Usupashvili represents the Georgian Dream coalition. Georgian Dream has 85 seats […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Parliamentarians in Georgia are gathering today in Kutaisi for their first session after the October 1 election. Their first session is taking place inside a new dome-shaped construction which though it’s still unfinished and leaks water from the ceiling when it rains, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Public Broadcaster has abolished its contract with the Russian language TV station PIK, which has been off the air since October 19. PIK, or First Informational Caucasian, was a channel belonging to Georgia’s Public Broadcaster. It […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved the final results of the October 1 parliamentary election. According to the summary protocol, the Georgian Dream coalition received 54.97 percent, while United National Movement […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Shortly after the preliminary results of the parliamentary election became known, workers all over th ecountry started demanding to improve their slave-like conditions. As 3 800 workers are still on strike in the mining town Chiatura, employees of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Civic groups in Georgia Friday presented an eight-point plan for how to improve the media environment in the country. Coalition for Media Advocacy, which unites twelve non-government organizations (NGOs), considers it important to make […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian president is strengthening the security around himself and his family. Mikheil Saakashvili has issued a decree according to which the Special State Protection Service will be given additional functions to protect the president and his family. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — NATO will remain absolutely committed to Georgia, a NATO envoy said after meeting the future prime minister of Georgia. James Appathurai, who is on a visit to Georgia, on Thursday held a meeting with Bidzina Ivanishvili, congratulating him on his […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A business jet carrying President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, had to make an emergency landing at Bucharest airport Thursday night, the president’s administration informs. Saakashvili was returning home after attending a conference, but ten minutes after […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — After meeting with Stefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy on Thursday, Bidzina Ivanishvili talked about his planned visit to Europe. “We had a very interesting conversation,” he said, adding that this […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — New groups of workers have joined the miners on strike in Chiatura, and activists from Tbilisi have arrived to support them. All mines in Chiatura are still closed down as the miners’ strike continues for a fourth day. October 16 thousands of workers […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — NATO envoy James Appathurai yesterday evening arrived in Georgia for a working visit to meet with former and future government members. The October 1 parliamentary was a test for Georgia, which it has passed. The government has changed through the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Another pro-government television station has been sold in the wake of the parliamentary election in Georgia: Real TV. Real TV, which was a competitor to Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV, and contained pro-government news, shortly after election […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A government-controlled TV channel is in the process of be transferred back to the family of its old owner, the deceased businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili. The return of Imedi TV to its fonder’s family has become the hottest topic on social networks […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili Tuesday presented Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream coalition leader, as a candidate for Prime Minister. Manana Manjgaladze, spokesperson for the president, said at today’s briefing that in accordance with the Georgian […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Eric Rubin, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, evaluated the recent parliamentary election in Georgia on his visit to Tbilisi on Tuesday. He said the whole world can see that democracy is real in Georgia, which can become a model country for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Mikheil Saakashvili Tuesday admitted his National Movement party had done too much talking instead of listening to people’s problems. The president was meeting with his party’s candidates for Adjara’s High Council. He said that during the election […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Thousands of miners are on strike in western Georgia, demanding to improve work conditions and have a normal salary. About 3500 workers from six mines in Chiatura, which is rich in manganese, went on strike on Monday. All the mines are closed down […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The director of a government-controlled TV channel and a key figure after the rose revolution has left his position. Control over Imedi TV was Tuesday evening handed over to the family of the deceased businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, who owned […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Journalists of TV channel PIK Monday evening expressed protest in an unusual way: When viewers tuned in to their news program at 22:20, they could watch the journalists live – in complete silence. PIK, or First News Caucasian, belongs to Georgian […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The National Movement party, which is now in opposition in Georgia, plans to set up several parliamentary factions in the future parliament. Davit Bakradze, current Parliament Speaker said Monday that all his party’s representatives in parliament […]
Changes are expected in the education system after the new government comes to power. The national exam system may return to its previous arrangement, although nothing is yet decided, while the identity of the new minister of education is still unknown. Entrants were […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — There were repeat elections at eleven precincts in three regions of Georgia on Sunday. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), voter turnout at the time voting ended was 32.9 percent. The repeat election was conducted peacefully without […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border at about 14:15 on Sunday. The epicenter was 10 km east of Lagodekhi, Georgia, and 10 km in depth. The seismic monitoring center of Ilia University in Georgia […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Eleven precincts in three districts in Georgia are holding repeat elections Sunday, because of grave irregularities which led to results of the October 1 parliamentary election being canceled. All eleven are what’s called majoritarian or first-past-the-post […]
Georgian officials will, if they are fired, be able to use their diplomatic passports for one more year. This means that they will be able to cross borders without any problems, which is not possible for ordinary citizen. President Mikheil Saakashvili made this decision by issuing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia played 1-1 against Finland Friday in the third qualifier for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The match was played in Helsinki. When the first half ended there were no goals, but in the 11. minute of the second half, the Georgian team scored. Finland […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Five members of the United National Movement party in Tbilisi City Council left their faction and set up a new faction, which will join the platform of the parliament election winner Georgian Dream. The faction had 38 members before it lost the five […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Many in Tbilisi had hoped that city hall would do away with an unpopular new system to make the garbage collection fee dependent on the electric bill, but at Friday’s session it emerged that despite the opposition’s election victory it is not certain […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili today had a phone conversation with NATO’s Secretary General, who told the president that today is a historical moment for Georgia’s democratic development. Mikheil Saakashvili and Anders Fogh […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Corporal Mindia Abashidze was the eighteenth Georgian soldier to die while serving in the NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan. Georgia’s defense ministry on Thursday reported that the corporal born October 27, 1989, […]
The current Georgian government has resigned but will continue carrying out its duties until a new government is approved by parliament. The president’s administration informed about the resignation in a short statement on its official website, which says that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Several election districts in Georgia will have to vote again on October 14 because the results of the October 1 parliamentary election were annulled due to violations, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC). The commission decided on Wednesday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Following the opposition victory in last week’s parliamentary election, people who have been deprived of their companies in recent years are now saying they want to get back what was taken from them during the rule of President Mikheil Saakashvili. […]
About 200 employees of the port of Poti are on strike, local media report. The workers refuse to carry on until the people making decisions at No 14 harbor speaks to them. They demand improved working conditions, appropriate salary for the work they do and to have contracts. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Tbilisi City Hall has started a process that could lead to a controversial mechanism being abolished involving the garbage collection fee being tied to the electric bill. The system was introduced in late 2011, and is one of the most controversial […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The prisoner whom the government claimed orchestrated the prisoner abuse videos has been released. Tamaz Tamazashvili, the father-in-law of the likely candidate for new interior minister, was Wednesday released from prison. When leaving prison Tamazashvili […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The mayor of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi has decided to set up a new security force. Mayor Gigi Ugulava has signed a protocol about setting up the service, which has already been published on Georgia’s legislative website Matsne, which means that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Two financial agreements have been signed between Georgia and the EU. According to press office of the State Minister for EU and Euro Atlantic Integration, Minister Thornike Gordadze signed the two agreements. The agreements have a budget of 23 million […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Leaders of People’s Assembly and Democratic Movement demand the release of political prisoners and illegally arrested people as soon as possible. Nino Burjanadze, leader of Democratic Movement, and Irakli Batiashvili from People’s Assembly today […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The prison minister in Georgia says he will put together a monitoring group to let human rights activists and the media into facilities to check the conditions. Apart from non-governmental organizations and the media, the monitoring group will also have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — An extraordinary meeting took place in Tbilisi today, as President Mikheil Saakashvili received billionaire and election winner Bidzina Ivanishvili and his political partners at the presidential palace. After Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream coalition won the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian Dream coalition leader and likely prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili today named his candidates for government ministers and other top positions. Head of Georgia’s National Bank will be Nodar Javakhishvili, chair of Cartu Bank, a bank affiliated […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Negotiators for the government and Georgian Dream Monday held another round of consultations regarding the ongoing process to transfer power. Participants said afterwards that Monday evening consultations will start between current ministers and Georgian […]
A new coalition called Georgian Dream won a clear victory in the parliamentary election last week. Georgia-expert Lincoln Mitchell interprets the result. Did you expect these results?I believe last time we spoke, and certainly last time I was here, I mentioned that the NDI […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Protests continue after a Georgian newspaper published the names of employees at a prison scandalized by revelations of torture. On Saturday evening, a well-known writer who has been engaging in the protests was attacked and beaten. Asaval-Dasavali, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — There is a crisis in pro-government TV in Georgia, after an opposition coalition won the parliamentary election. October 5, several well-known anchors and journalists at Imedi TV, which is controlled by Saakashvili’s government, each wrote on their […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili Friday told his acting interior minister and chief prosecutor to do everything to prevent the mafia from crossing the border into Georgia. After it became clear that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s coalition was going to win the election, […]
The founders of Rustavi 2, a TV company are fighting to get back control which they claimed was forcefully deprived from them. Rustavi 2 played an important role in the rose revolution in 2003, which brought President Mikheil Saakashvili to power, but later became completely […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Friday, authorities in Georgia lifted the seizure of thousands of satellite dishes belonging to Maestro TV and Georgian Dream affiliated Global TV, a cable network operator. Both companies on Friday received a letter about the lifting of the seizure. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — About 200 local and foreign businesspeople Friday gathered to meet with the winner of the parliamentary election in Georgia. Bidzina Ivanishvili met them in order to talk about important issues and problems in their field, including the necessity of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s prison ministry informs that a suicide might have taken place at No 18 prison hospital. The body of a prisoner was found in the bathroom of the prison hospital September 5. The cause of death was hanging. The prisoner had been placed in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Four days after the election, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said the counting of votes had been completed and announced the final results. After collating votes from 3 766 district, preliminary results show the Georgian Dream coalition received […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — US Secretary of State has had a phone conversation with President Mikheil Saakashvili and Bidzina Ivanishvili, who leads a coalition that won the parliamentary election. Both the president’s and the Georgian Dream’s press offices separately told […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A video was publishedThursday showing a person wearing a mask breaking into one of the election precincts in Khashuri, a small town in eastern Georgia. On election day Monday, there were reports about special units breaking into several precincts […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The government of President Mikheil Saakashvili has picked the Parliament Speaker, Tbilisi Mayor, Secretary of the Security Council and a member of parliament to represent it in negotiations with the Georgian Dream coalition. Soon after Election Day, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The leader of a decade old party has said he is leaving politics, sticking to a promise to leave if his party did not make it into parliament. The New Rightists Party, which was established in 2001, gained only 0.43 percent of the votes in the parliamentary […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former body guard for the Georgian Dream coalition, who was reported missing, returned home today. In a ‘leak war’ shortly before the election, Beso Surmava, former security guard for Bidzina Ivanishvili, was one among those who released secret recordings […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Dream and others are protesting outside the election commission offices in nineteen one-past-the-post districts where the National Movement party is winning. According to the latest figures from the Central Election Commission, Georgian Dream […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili’s party lost the election in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. This is his favorite region which he visits frequently. Georgian Dream coalition got 57.6 percent of the votes according to the most recent figures from the […]
The election winner in Georgia’s first visit abroad will be to the U.S., probably after the U.S. presidential election. Bidzina Ivanishvili told journalists Wednesday that the U.S. ambassador to Georgia had delivered him a formal invitation to the U.S. He met Ambassador […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. Secretary of State responded to Monday’s election in Georgia congratulating Georgians on their peaceful and active participation in the election. A statement published on the State Department website says the election was a historic day for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The counting of votes is almost finished in Georgia and results show that the opposition leads with 55.1 percent, against the ruling National Movement with 40.1 percent of votes. The other parties seem to not overcome the 5 percent barrier for getting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the coalition that won the Georgian election Monday says it would be best for President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign and appoint early presidential election. Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the victorious Georgian Dream coalition, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group carrying out parallel vote counting has estimated that Georgian Dream won by 54.6 to 40.7 percent over National Movement. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) published their results of parallel vote tabulation (PVT). […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – OSCE says Georgia made an important step in consolidating the conduct of democratic elections, but there are still some key issues left needing to address. The organization has the largest contingent of election observers here, under its Office for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The winner in the Georgian parliamentary election says it would be wise of Mikheil Saakashvili to step down and announce early presidential election. The next presidential election is planned for late 2013. Bidzina Ivanishvili said this at a press […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The election result from several precincts in three districts of Georgia may be annulled, says the head of Central Election Commission (CEC). Due to tension at several precincts in Khashuri that were stormed by special police units yesterday, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The National Movement party moves into opposition, President Mikheil Saakashvili has told the Georgian people in a TV address. The president said preliminary vote counting clearly shows that the Georgian Dream coalition came in first in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Official results from the Central Election Commission at 06:20 am local time showed that the opposition Georgian Dream was leading with 54.61 percent ahead of the ruling National Movement party with 40.44 percent. Counting is still ongoing. These results […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Special police forces stormed several election precincts in Georgia, seized the ballot box and rewrote the protocol, in order to prevent an opposition victory. Special units of the police have entered several election precincts in Khashuri, a small […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – According to Maestro TV’s exit poll, the opposition Georgian Dream coalition is set to win also in districts with the majoritarian (first-past-the-post) system in the capital: Mtatsimnda, Tbilisi – National movement candidate has 23 percent; Georgian […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili concedes that his National Movement party has been defeated in the parliamentary election in districts with the proportional system, but won in districts with majoritarian candidates. Saakashvili thanked people […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – All the exit polls published after voting ended show that the opposition has won the election in Georgia. Also the pro-government TV channels show Georgian Dream winning. Rustavi 2’s exit poll show the following: Georgian Dream 51 percent, National […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of Georgia’s opposition coalition has not voted in Monday’s parliamentary election. Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of Georgian Dream, says he refuses to use his new constitutional right to vote, thereby adhering to a statement he made […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Local non-governmental organizations are reporting about different kinds of violations in Monday’s election. Transparency International Georgia (TI) reports that one of the main problems is that there are not enough ballot-papers and envelopes in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia the most important election in recent history is underway. According to the Central Election Commission, there was a 25.5 voter turnout by 12:00. There have already been reports of violations. Many see the parliamentary election as a test […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The kidnapping and killing of a 10 months old girl from an opposition activists’ family has pushed a strained electoral atmosphere towards the boiling point. A ten-month old infant was today found dead in a pitcher full of water after declared […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A day before the parliamentary election, the embattled prison ministry in Georgia made a push to explain it is doing something to improve health care for inmates. Since the abuse scandal broke, 107 prisoners have been transferred to prison hospital, 78 to civilian hospitals, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An unprecedented 61 000 local observers will follow tomorrow’s parliamentary election, head of the Central Election Commission (CEC) says. There are more than 33 000 representatives of election subjects and representatives of political parties in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the largest opposition coalition says there will be set a new precedent in Georgia’s recent history, when the government is changed through election. Bidzina Ivanishvili appeared confident in front media after meeting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian patriarch on Sunday stated that he expects Monday’s election to be without fraud and that people will vote for who they want. Numerous polls have shown Patriarch Illia II to be the most trusted person in Georgia, scoring higher than […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Russian soldiers have arrested a Georgian police employee inside the occupied territory. Georgia considers this an attempt by Russia to create tension in the current situation. Russian media first reported that Georgian law enforcers Saturday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian Dream coalition which is challenging President Saakashvili’s power in Monday’s parliamentary election, mobilized over a hundred thousand supporters in the center of Tbilisi Saturday. The coalition also held a rally in the country’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – 111 different organizations have been approved as election observers for the parliamentary election in Georgia on Monday October 1. 61 of them are from abroad, while 50 are local non-governmental organizations. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The party currently in power in Georgia Friday organized a rally counting thousands at the national football stadium in Tbilisi. Majoritarian candidates and other members of the United National Movement party, as well as government officials, held […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – According to Georgia’s public defender, yet another hunger strike has been launched, this time at Prison No 19, for prisoners suffering of tuberculosis. About 30 prisoners in the prison went on hunger strike on September 25. Their demand is to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A former bodyguard for the Georgian opposition leader has been reported missing by his relatives, after a video was uploaded to Youtube yesterday, in which he says that Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili personally instructed him to make […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A court in Georgia has ruled that the Central Election Commission’s decision to establish tight regulations for media on Election Day are legal. The rules in practice make it impossible to take photos and videos at election precincts. Under the current […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Thirteen prisoners from one of Georgia’s prisons went on hunger strike for five days until the election as way of showing their protest against torture and mistreatment of prisoners. Representatives of the public defender September 26 visited […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia a ‘leak war’ has broken out, fought by the uploading of compromising videos to Youtube and other sites, just days ahead of a decisive election. The government and the opposition are bombarding each other with alleged secret video and audio […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Interpol has declared Vladimer Bedukadze a wanted person. He is the former prison guard who recently released videos of prison torture filmed by himself at Gldani prison in Tbilisi in 2011. These videos spurred a massive public reaction which led to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office Wednesday reported that it had arrested the twelfth person so far for involvement in prison torture after a series of videos one week ago documented physical and sexual abuse by staff against inmates. Mamuka […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Youth continue to protest against prison abuse in Tbilisi. Thursday there was no large scale protest but different groups of students gathered at different places to express their protest to various government bodies. The seven people who were on […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – One of the leaders of the opposition Christian Democrats party today withdrew her candidacy as majoritarian candidate for parliament. Inga Grigolia, a well-known former journalist, is now a member of the Christian Democrats, which is considered by […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has established many prohibitions on the use of photographic equipment at election precincts, which in fact restricts and makes it impossible to take photos on Election Day. Use of photos may document […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili dedicated a long speech to recent events in the prison system in a speech while meeting with locals in the port city Batumi. He said it was a shock for him, meaning the footage aired on TV, which shows beating […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Seven students have been on hunger strike for two days, protesting against the justice minister. They demand the release of activists Davit Patsasia, Dachi Tsaguria and Beka Alodashvili, who were arrested while participating in the recent protests […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Many people have been detained in Georgia during the last few days. The majority of the arrested are members and activists of the Georgian Dream. About 20 members and supporters of the opposition coalition have been detained the last three days, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Public Council of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster demands from GPB to cover news about prisoner abuse properly, otherwise they will leave their posts. Members of the council expressed concern for what has been exposed about torture of prisoners […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ombudsman says Dachi Tsaguria and Beka Aladoshvili, who were arrested on Saturday, were verbally and physically abused during pre-trial detention. Dachi Tsaguria and his friend Beka Alodashvili were arrested on Saturday. Tsaguria […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Public Defender’s Office informs that several prisoners at facility No 15 in Mtskheta near Tbilisi have gone on hunger strike to show solidarity with victims of torture. According to the ombudsman’s rapporteurs, prisoners went on hunger […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Prison employees who committed torture and humiliating abuse in a Tbilisi prison are still going to work as normal, inmates say. Prisoners at Gldani prison told this to journalists who were let in. They named the names of specific persons who have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Student groups gathered outside of Gldani prison Friday, in a more scaled down protest against prisoner abuse than earlier in the week. Organizers decided not to hold a mass rally on Friday to avoid provocation. They […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s new prison minister today visited Gldani prison accompanied by journalists. He said prisoners told him that the situation has changed to the positive the last two days. Nino Zuriashvili, investigative journalist, said they observed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The sixth video clip showing prisoner abuse was aired Thursday by TV9. It seems to shows mentally ill persons who are inmates in Gldani prison and are being humiliated and forced to dance and sing. Gldani prison is where the majority of torture […]
The European Union Wednesday issued a statement regarding the ongoing scandal surrounding prisoner abuse in Georgia: “The EU Delegation is shocked by the appalling footage of abuses committed against inmates in Gldani prison. It is of vital importance that these […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili Thursday appointed the public defender as prison minister. Former prison minister Khatuna Kalmakhelidze resigned yesterday amidst a scandal spurred by the release of five videos showing prisoners being beaten […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Davit Akobia, former employee at Gldani prison — also known as Prison No 8 — was this morning arrested on the border with Armenia. He has been mentioned as one of the persons behind video footage showing torture of prisoner. The Prosecutor’s Office […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Wednesday morning Georgia’s prison minister resigned after scandalous footage of prisoners torture was published in the media and through the internet. Tens and hundreds of thousand have protested all over Georgia, demanding the resignation of the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In a new video clip of prisoner torture in Georgia, an underage prisoner is shown being sodomized by prison guards. The clip was aired today on the opposition channel TV9. It shows an underage prisoner (meaning under 18 years) being physically and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president admits that Georgia’s prison system is a complete failure and needs to be repaired. Mikheil Saakashvili Wednesday instructed his prime minister to take responsibility for reforming the system and ensure the safety of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A series of protest rallies have erupted throughout the capital and large cities in Georgia, after shocking videos of prisoner abuse released by the interior ministry and aired on two opposition TV channels last night. Some of the footage appeared […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Four different videos showing physical and sexual abuse of prisoners in Georgian prisons has triggered a widespread public outrage and a demand for the prison minister to step down. The videos were released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Internal […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The energy sector receives the largest share of direct foreign investments this year. Investments increased 7 percent in the second quarter of 2012 compared to same period in 2011, and totaled USD 219 million, according to preliminary figures […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A Georgian actress who played in the anti-Islam movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’ has released an open letter explaining that she didn’t have any idea about the full plot of the film and only read part of the script. Anna Gurji (21), whose real […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian emigrants Monday returned to their homeland to protest the restriction of their right to vote. A number of Georgian emigrants today arrived in Batumi, a port city on the Black Sea coast, and held a protest rally in front of a public […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The foreign ministers of Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic said during a visit to Georgia that the parliamentary election in two weeks are important. The ministers met with Georgia’s foreign minister, and the main topic […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The EU ambassador to Georgia on Saturday evaluated the election period in the country and once again remarked that it is important that participants recognize the election results if international organizations do so. Philip Dimitrov on Saturday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia expert Lincoln Mitchell sees several possible outcomes of the election, and explained to us his assessment of the situation. DFWatch: Your prognosis, your predictions about these elections, its outcomes are interesting.Lincoln Mitchell: Well, we don’t know for sure […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is to conduct a consequence management field exercise together with Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) in September, 2012. Consequence management field exercise ‘Georgia 2012’ will be conducted in an area near […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia condemns the attacks on the embassies of Germany and UK. Georgia’s Foerign Affairs Ministry on Saturday released a statement which says that the country is concerned about the incidents which took place in the capital of Sudan. “There is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM) will continue its activity for one more year until September 14, 2013. The European Council on Friday extended EUMM for one more year and €20.9 million was allocated in next year’s budget. Catherine Ashton, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Central Election Commission has rejected applications from two Russian organizations to register as observers for the parliamentary election on October 1. September 9, the CEC decided to deny the State Duma of the Russian Federation and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The United States is to send military advisors to Georgia to help the country strengthen its air defense systems. Obama is sending a group of military engineers to Georgia in September for this purpose. The bolstering of Georgia’s air defenses […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Central Election Commission says 54 963 Georgians abroad have registered to vote at their country’s embassy. The list doesn’t contain citizens who live in Russia or in countries where there are less than 20 Georgians living. 42 613 out of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO ambassadors are visiting Georgia, holding meetings with officials. The ambassadors have met with Public Defender Giorgi Tughushi, who said after the meeting that the guests were interested in the problems in Georgian media, including satellite […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – There is growing international support for extending the must-carry and must-offer system. The system makes cable network obligated to transmit all TV stations and all TV channels to let their signal be carried is being discussed these days by a […]
TBILISI DFWatch – The Foreign Affairs Minister of Estonia says every political party in Georgia should recognize the results of the upcoming election as an expression of the will of the people. Urmas Paet, Estonia’s minister is visiting Georgia to hold meetings with […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team on Tuesday won against Netherlands. This was Georgia’s final qualifier for EuroBasket 2013. The match ended 97-89. The team won all four quarters of the game: 25–21, 29–22, 18–16, 25–30. Georgia didn’t have to win […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas O. Melia and the rest of a government delegation from the United States are in Georgia holding meetings. The main topic is the parliamentary election on October 1. The delegation arrived on Sunday. It is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Representatives of the Council of Europe’s observer mission will arrive in Georgia next week in order to get familiar with the situation before the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 1. Nino Kalandadze, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, said […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The foreign affair ministers of five countries will visit Georgia September 17. Nino Kalandadze, Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, said on Monday that the foreign ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania will […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Tbilisi City Court has fined the Christian Democrats Movement with USD 3 000 for violating law about political unions of citizens. The Christian Democrats Movement, who is currently represented in parliament, June 31 held a meeting with the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The two largest political blocs in Georgia in the weekend showed off their support in the regions. United National Movement, the ruling party, Saturday held eleven rallies in ten towns as well as in Tbilisi. The first gathering started at 11:00 in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Central Election Commission (CEC) has given Georgians abroad two more days to register as a voter. The deadline for registering is September 11. But Eka Azarashvili, speaker for CEC said, said at a press conference Monday that Georgians […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili has appointed a new business ombudsman. Maya Meredova has worked at ProCredit Bank Georgia since 2006. She was General Director of Bank of Georgia 2010-2012. Meredova was a consultant at the European Bank of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team Jvarosnebi are through to EuroBasket 2013 after winning 73-70 against Latvia. The match was played on Saturday evening in Latvia. After the victory, Georgia might end up winning its group in the qualifying rounds, but is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A democracy campaign in Georgia asks the government to extend the validity of the must-carry and must-offer principles and lift the seizure of satellite dishes belonging to Maestro TV. This Affects You Too, an umbrella organization of Tbilisi-based […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The interior ministry in Georgia Saturday arrested one of the so-called saboteurs near the Dagestan section of the border with Russia. According to a short statement published on Saturday, Akhmet Chatayev, Russian citizen from the North Caucasus was […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The United States is sending a government delegation to Georgia to assess the period before the election on October 1. The delegation will visit Georgia September 10-12 and is chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Thomas O. Melia, from […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The European Union will offer Georgian citizens visa free travel to the EU in 2013, according to Georgia’s representative to the EU. Salome Samadashvili, who represents Georgia in the EU, said Wednesday that 2013 will be a very important year for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO’s Secretary General on Friday left Georgia for Azerbaijan, continuing his tour of the Caucasus. In a posting on Facebook Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that his traveling in the South Caucasus region is important for Euro-Atlantic security and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group of U.S. Senators headed by John McCain have arrived in Georgia. Among the delegation are also Joseph Liberman and Lindsey Graham. During a press conference at the U.S. embassy McCain said the delegation wants to see a free and fair election […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The opposition Georgian Dream party accuses government of attempting to legally falsify the parliamentary election. One of the coalition’s lawyers Zakaria Kutsnashvili said Thursday that the amended election code regulates the issue of voters […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The new U.S. ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland Wednesday officially started his work. He arrived at Tbilisi airport with his wife, where they were greeted by Chargé d’Affaires Bridget Brink and representatives of the embassy. Norland said he […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team is meeting Bosnia-Herzegovina again team tomorrow. Georgia comes to its seventh qualifier for EuroBasket 2013 after winning against Romania on Sunday with the final score 91:74. Georgia will host Bosnia-Herzegovina at […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Defense Minister and Chief of Staff met with ISAF Commander of Regional Command Southwest Major General and Commander of Task Force RC (SW) Major General to receive information about the mission. According to Georgia’s Defense Ministry […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another so-called saboteur was buried today in a Georgian village, locals say. Seven corpses have been identified out of eleven liquidated saboteurs, according to the interior ministry. Two of them were Georgian citizens and were buried earlier in the village Duisi […]
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, and Štefan Füle, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, made today the following statement: “We wish […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO’s Secretary General will come to Georgia on September 6 and hold official meetings for one day. Manana Manjgaladze, Spokesperson for president told DF Watch that Anders Fogh Rasmussen arrives in Georgia as part of a tour of the Caucasus. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The interior ministry says there were two Georgian citizens among the eleven who were killed during a police operation on the Russian-Georgian border. A few days ago, the ministry claimed that there weren’t any Georgians among the dead ‘boeviks’. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili announced that in September there will be opened a City Hall and a port in the still non-existent city Lazika. Saakashvili was meeting with youth at the patriot camp in Anaklia, a town on the Black Sea coast. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The largest opposition coalition in Georgia may be fined again, after the State Audit Office has said certain individuals implemented financial operations in the name of Georgian Dream, which is prohibited by law. A statement by the State Audit […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In the top twenty on the National Movement’s party list there are majoritarian candidates. The majority on the list are current members of parliament (MPs) and members of government. On the ruling party list there also are so-called independent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s environment minister has resigned in order to stand for election for the National Movement party. George Khachidze, who was appointed to the post in 2008, today announced on his Facebook page that he has resigned in order to become a member […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Local police are patrolling a valley close to the Russian border, while the special police operation continues against a group of what the interior ministry calls saboteurs. The interior ministry today published further details […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The government refuses to accept conditions which the largest opposition coalition says are necessary in order for the October 1 parliamentary election to be considered fair. Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream coalition on Thursday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia continues its operation on the border with Russia, while a Chechen Islamic Internet news agency claims what really happened was that insurgents stumbled upon a group of Georgians and let them go, after which their location was revealed. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the Georgian Dream coalition says he can’t wait until he leaves politics. Georgia’s richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili, on Friday was invited on Maestro TV in the morning, where he stated that he has never been interested in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Eleven dead bodies have been recovered from the rebel group, which according to the Georgian interior ministry counted about 20 people in total. The ministry says some of the militants were from North Ossetia, a republic which is part of the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili explains the deadly incident on the Russian border this week as an attempt at ‘testing the country’s readiness to fight’ and ‘a provocation’. President Saakashvili visited the town Kvareli, which is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Tuesday night, security forces in Georgia were deployed near the border with Russia after an armed group was spotted in a the area. The Interior Ministry has blocked access to a valley in Kakheti while while the operation is ongoing and all measures […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team is in a shared first place in Group D of the qualification for EuroBasket 2013 next to Bosnia-Herzegovina after losing a match against the Netherlands. After three victories in a row, it was the first defeat of Georgia’s Jvarosnebi […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the largest opposition bloc in Georgia doesn’t exclude that if he wins the parliamentary election he will hold a referendum regarding government structure. Currently, the president holds almost all power. From 2013 these powers will […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Tbilisi City Court today held a pre-trial hearing on in the case of two persons accused of being responsible for a chlorine leak in Tbilisi July 3, which resulted in the death of one person and tens of injured. A water company claims that its supplier of chorine, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – About one acre of forest burned as a result of a fire in Borjomi, a resort town in eastern Georgia. The fire started yesterday afternoon and wasn’t put out until Monday morning. What caused the fire is not yet known, but the reason might have been […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A second Bollywood film is being filmed in Georgia on the initiative of Georgia’s National Investment Agency. The film tells a story set in Georgia in the Middle Ages. Indian actors and actresses play the roles of a Georgian king and other characters. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Eleven party lists and coalitions have agreed to election campaign financing. Central Election Commission informs that Freedom to Way of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian Dasi, Free Georgia, New Rights Party, Christian Democrats, People’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia, archeologists have discovered burial chamber from the third or fourth century BC. The discovery was made during sewage work. The qvevri burial place lies in Kaspi, a small town 48 km away from the capital Tbilisi. The online newspaper […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s national basketball team won against Latvia on August 24, strengthening its position in the qualification for the European championship next year. The match ended 79:76, which puts Georgia at the top of Group D. The qualification match […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An American pro-democracy group says it’s questionable whether there is rule of law in Georgia. The non-government organization (NGO) Committee for Open Democracy said at a press conference on Friday that the organization will have 20 observers […]
