DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, September 9 – A Georgian editor jailed after slapping a police chief during a protest has been named one of six winners of Europe’s Free Media Award, given by Norway’s Fritt Ord Foundation and Germany’s ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius. Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of the outlets Netgazeti and Batumelebi, has become a symbol of Georgia’s embattled … Read more
TBILISI, September 9 – Georgia has extended its discount ID card campaign, giving eligible citizens more time to apply ahead of October’s local elections. The State Services Development Agency had originally announced the half-price offer would run until September 5, but officials now say the program will remain open until September 19. The discount applies … Read more
TBILISI, September 9 – A protest outside the campaign headquarters of ruling party candidate Kakha Kaladze erupted into violence last night, leaving at least 10 people injured. The clash broke out on Melikishvili Avenue in Tbilisi, where demonstrators gathered to denounce the Georgian Dream (GD) government. Protesters claim they were attacked by GD supporters, including … Read more
TBILISI, September 8 – Georgia’s government has revived talks on introducing unemployment insurance, a social safety net that is standard across much of the West but has never been implemented in the country. The idea has circulated for years without concrete steps, but parliament is now working on a draft law and consulting with business … Read more
TBILISI, September 8 – Georgia’s ruling party has made a sharp U-turn just weeks before crucial local elections, announcing that it will invite international observers from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor the October 4 vote. The decision, confirmed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday evening, comes after … Read more
TBILISI, September 8 – Georgia’s justice system is on dangerous ground, says security analyst Andro Gotsiridze, warning that politically driven courts could destabilize the country and hand Russia exactly what it wants. In an interview with Interpressnews, Gotsiridze commented on recent verdicts against around a dozen protesters convicted of assaulting riot police during last winter’s … Read more
TBILISI, September 8 – Georgia’s controversial ‘sabotage’ case has widened, with prosecutors freezing the bank accounts of 12 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), up from seven when the probe first began. The groups are accused of aiding last year’s post-election protests, which spiraled into street clashes in Tbilisi. Officials now say evidence shows that some NGOs purchased … Read more
TBILISI, September 6 – Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has appealed a court ruling that cleared doctor Giorgi Akhobadze of drug trafficking charges. Akhobadze was acquitted on August 6 and walked free after a Tbilisi City Court judge found him not guilty of possessing large amounts of illegal substances. Akhobadze was controversially arrested in December 2024 after … Read more
TBILISI, September 6 – Two of Georgia’s best-known opposition figures, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, walked free on Friday, after being pardoned by President Mikheil Kavelashvili. Both men are leading figures in the Lelo party, and had been serving prison sentences since June for defying a parliamentary investigation into the country’s turbulent political past. Their … Read more
TBILISI, September 6 – Protesters marched from Melikishvili Avenue to the steps of parliament on Rustaveli Avenue last night, blocking traffic on the city’s main thoroughfare. The demonstrators are demanding two things: the release of those detained during recent rallies and assurances that upcoming parliamentary elections will be fair. The march began outside the newly … Read more