Friday, December 5, 2025

DFWatch staff

Georgian government escalates crackdown, accusing opposition leaders of aiding foreign sanctions

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The political crisis in Georgia has deepened dramatically Thursday as the Prosecutor General announced sweeping allegations against several opposition leaders, accusing them of collaborating with foreign countries to harm the state. The prosecution claims the opposition intentionally supplied external powers with sensitive information, including details on petroleum product imports and the “existing or invented” situation … Read more

Georgia’s central bank under pressure as inflation keeps rising

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TBILISI, November 6 – Georgia’s central bank is facing growing criticism from economists after admitting it can no longer keep inflation under control and raising its forecast for next year. The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) said Thursday it now expects prices to rise faster than previously projected, while keeping its key refinancing rate unchanged … Read more

German ambassador back in Tbilisi following ‘meddling’ row

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TBILISI, November 6 – Germany’s ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, has returned to Tbilisi after consultations in Berlin following friction with the Georgian Dream government over his alleged involvement in the country’s opposition protests. The German Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that Fischer had resumed his post, writing on social platform X that “the ambassador has … Read more

U.S. congressman accuses Georgia of betraying American interests

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TBILISI, November 6 – Tensions grew between Georgia’s government and U.S. lawmakers this week as a senior member of Congress accused Georgia’s ruling party of undermining American security interests by handing control of its key Black Sea port to Chinese state-linked companies and persecuting Western investors. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson accused Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream … Read more

Georgia’s PM escalates feud with Brussels, stating there are no protests

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TBILISI, November 5 – Georgia’s prime minister took fresh aim at European Union institutions on Wednesday, accusing “European bureaucracy” of double standards and defending Tbilisi’s decision to avoid recent Euronest sessions, the EU’s parliamentary forum for Eastern Partnership states. Speaking to Georgian reporters during a visit to Shanghai, Irakli Kobakhidze said the situation inside EU … Read more

Tbilisi rejects EU criticism as political interference

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TBILISI, November 5 – Tbilisi has fired back at Brussels over the European Commission’s latest enlargement report, accusing the EU of political bias, disrespect, and interference in Georgia’s domestic affairs. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Tuesday that if there is any “backsliding,” it is in Brussels, not in Georgia. In a series of statements responding … Read more

EU declares Georgia’s membership bid ‘frozen’

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TBILISI, November 4 – The European Union has declared Georgia’s membership process “practically frozen,” citing what it calls unprecedented democratic backsliding, repression of dissent, and a breakdown in the rule of law. The announcement came Tuesday as Brussels released its 2025 Enlargement Report, marking the sharpest downturn yet in relations between the bloc and the … Read more

Pregnant British teen freed from Georgian jail

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TBILISI, November 4 – A Georgian court has released 19-year-old British national Bella May Culley, who was convicted of smuggling large quantities of marijuana and hashish into the country, after she reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Culley, who is 35 weeks pregnant, was sentenced to five months and 24 days in prison, time she … Read more

Constitutional Court to decide fate of three Georgian opposition parties

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TBILISI, November 4 – Georgia’s Constitutional Court has begun reviewing a petition filed by 88 members of parliament that seeks to outlaw three major opposition political parties, accusing them of acting against the country’s constitutional order. The case, announced Monday and published on the court’s official website, will be handled by the court’s First Collegium. … Read more

Georgia’s new protest laws “abolish” freedom of assembly: Watchdog

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TBILISI, November 4 – Tbilisi-based watchdog Transparency International Georgia (TIG) has sharply condemned the ruling Georgian Dream party’s latest amendments to Georgia’s protest laws, calling them “repressive” and a de facto abolition of citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of assembly. The group says the legal changes, adopted over the past two years, amount to a … Read more