Thursday, January 8, 2026

European rights court slams Georgia over 2019 crackdown

TBILISI, December 11 – Europe’s human rights court has ruled that Georgia was responsible for several violations during and after the breakup of a riot in June, 2019 dubbed the “Gavrilov Night”. The court found Georgia at fault for excessive police force, botched investigations and breaches of free speech and assembly, while also confirming that … Read more

European liberals denounce Georgian opposition figure’s protest

TBILISI, December 11 – The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) on Wednesday denounced the actions of one of Georgia’s best-known opposition figures, who is currently in pre-trial detention and faces up to 15 years in prison. In a December 10 post on X, the European liberal umbrella group said it does not … Read more

Georgia PM threatens lawsuit against BBC for spreading disinformation

TBILISI, December 10 – Georgia is preparing to file a complaint against the BBC, accusing the UK’s public broadcaster of spreading false information about police crowd-control tactics during anti-government protests a year ago. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the first step will be an appeal to the UK’s media regulator, but that, if needed, he … Read more

Secretive Enguri terminal project enters final phase

TBILISI, December 9 – A long-running project to build a customs terminal at the Enguri crossing in Abkhazia has moved into its final phase, according to Ekho Kavkaza. Astamur Aksalba, presented as the head of a local transit and logistics company, said construction is about 80 percent finished and that Sukhumi is “hypothetically ready” to … Read more

Georgia unveils new aesthetic standards for cities and regions

TBILISI, December 9 – Georgia’s government has set out a bold plan to streamline the way buildings look across the country, from old town districts to new developments. A new decree on building aesthetics explains how the system will work. The government will publish a national guide that municipalities can use when shaping their planning … Read more

Georgian speaker feuds with jailed opposition figure over “terrorist” label

TBILISI, December 9 – Georgia’s parliament speaker and jailed opposition figure Aleko Elisashvili have entered a fierce public feud over the meaning of the word “terrorist”. Elisashvili, a former independent MP who recently aligned with the Lelo–Strong Georgia coalition for local elections, was arrested after a dramatic pre-dawn protest at Tbilisi City Court on 29 … Read more

BP in talks to hand over control of Caspian export pipelines

TBILISI, December 8 – BP has begun talks with government agencies in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey on handing over the day-to-day operation of two of the South Caucasus region’s most important export pipelines, the Baku–Supsa line and the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. BP confirmed the negotiations to the Azerbaijani outlet Report, noting that both pipelines are … Read more

Georgian investigation concludes BBC chemical weapons claim was false

TBILISI, December 8 – A Georgian interior ministry investigation has found that what came out of a police water cannon a year ago was not a World War I era chemical weapon but ordinary tear gas. The claim that a banned chemical weapon was used originates in a BBC report on December 1, which said … Read more

Georgia moves to further tighten rules on public rallies

TBILISI, December 8 – Georgia’s parliament moved on Monday to tighten the rules for public rallies for the second time this year. The latest amendments could further restrict how protests are held in the country’s streets and public spaces. Under the bill, organizers will be required to give advance notice to state authorities if a … Read more