DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili used an employment program as a way to campaign for the National Movement party ahead of the October 2012 parliamentary election.
This is the conclusion of Kutaisi City Court in a trial that has
TBILISI, DFWatch–The number of complaints against Georgia at the European Court of Human Rights has been reduced by 70 percent.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Justice published information showing that there were 375 complaints against Georgia at the Strasbourg-based
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Public Defender’s Office in Georgia calls on the Interior Ministry to react to the violation of the rights of a Georgian citizen who last month was prohibited three times from leaving Georgia.
Saikhan Muzayev complained to the office on January 20
TBILISI, DFWatch–Bus drivers in Batumi have been on strike for five days, demanding higher salary and the dismissal of the director of Batumi Autotransport Ltd.
Two of the protesting drivers, Nugzar Gvianidze and Nika Sikharulidze, are on hunger strike and live
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Dream coalition promises that there will not be fraud in the upcoming local elections, as the voters’ list is being checked by use of biometric data, which will prevent names from appearing two or more times.
Georgian Dream, both the coalition and the party with the same
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Giorgi Margvelashvili will hold his first annual address to parliament on February 21.
Outlining the content of his speech already on Friday, Margvelashvili announced he wants to focus on values and Georgia’s ‘strategic vectors’;
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Appeals Court in Georgia has upheld a decision by Tbilisi City Court to partly acquit former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia in the so-called prison riot case.
Tbilisi City Court acquitted Akhalaia in part of the case, but sentenced him to three
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia climbs 17 places on the latest Press Freedom Index and is listed in 84th place among 180 countries.
The index measures the level of freedom of information in different countries and is published annually by Reporters Without Borders.
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili Friday met Hungarian President János Áder. The two discussed economy, Georgia’s integration with Europe and relations with Russia.
Usupashvili is in Hungary together with a Georgian delegation
TBILISI, DFWatch–A former British army captain who in 2008 accused Georgia of starting the South Ossetia war has been appointed as deputy head of the EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM).
In 2008, Ryan Grist was in charge of a group of foreign observers who were