DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, August 17 – Campaigning in the western town of Kharagauli, Lelo spokesman Grigol Gegelia slammed Georgian Dream’s local officials for wasting public money on what he called “fake jobs.” He pointed to a local cleaning program where more than USD 900,000 went to salaries last year, claiming many of the positions were artificially created … Read more
TBILISI, August 17 – A teenager was seriously injured in Batumi after being struck by a moving train in the city’s Tamar district. Local residents told reporters the train ran over the teenager’s leg. Emergency responders rushed the injured child to a nearby clinic, where doctors were forced to amputate the leg due to the … Read more
TBILISI, August 16 – Prosecutors in Georgia say a man has been charged after shooting a dog dead with an air rifle and being caught with an unlicensed firearm at his home. The incident happened on August 15 in the village of Kisiskhevi, part of Telavi municipality in eastern Georgia. According to investigators, the suspect … Read more
TBILISI, August 16 – A local government official in northern Georgia has been arrested after allegedly taking a cash bribe in exchange for mining rights. Investigators say the official, working in Oni municipality, demanded 1,800 lari (about USD 650) from a resident who wanted to extract peat in the area. He was detained on the … Read more
TBILISI, August 15 – Six non-governmental organizations (NGOs) say they have received another warning from the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau accusing them of breaking Georgia’s new ‘foreign agents’ law. The legislation requires certain groups receiving funding from abroad to register in a public database. Critics liken it to similar laws in Russia, arguing it is designed … Read more
TBILISI, August 15 – A Tbilisi court has acquitted Tedo Abramov, 22, of serious drug charges in a case the opposition claims was linked to his political activity. Arrested last December, Abramov was accused of carrying more than four grams of MDMA, an offense that can mean up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors said … Read more
TBILISI, August 15 – A pro-government movement in Georgia has urged the ruling Georgian Dream party to stage a referendum on EU membership alongside the 4 October local elections. The call, from United Neutral Georgia, frames the vote as a way for citizens to weigh in on one of the country’s most consequential foreign policy … Read more
TBILISI, August 15 – For the 260th day in a row, protesters gathered outside Georgia’s parliament on Rustaveli Avenue. Once again, the crowd spilled onto the road, with the gathering blocking traffic to make their point. The demands remain unchanged: new parliamentary elections and the release of those detained during earlier rallies.
TBILISI, August 15 – Two of Georgia’s opposition forces – Lelo for Strong Georgia and For Georgia, the party of former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia – have yet to agree on a joint candidate for Tbilisi’s October 4 mayoral election. A recent meeting between Gakharia and Lelo’s secretary general Irakli Kupradze in Berlin has fueled … Read more
TBILISI, August 15 – The man at the center of the gunning down of a businessman on Chavchavadze Avenue after a funeral in March insists he had nothing to do with it. Speaking in court Thursday, Giorgi Mikadze said he had “no involvement” in the March 2025 killing of businessman Levan Jangveladze, claiming he had … Read more