DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, DFWatch–The former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was rushed to a prison hospital in Tbilisi Monday evening, reportedly due to a deteriorating health condition after being on a hunger strike for 39 days. Saakashvili had been held in Rustavi penitentiary since October 1, when he was arrested after returning to his home country for the … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s health condition deteriorated critically Monday, after 25 days of hunger strike. His condition was so serious that he required emergency treatment by doctors. After a while his condition improved, said the former president’s defense lawyer Dimitri Sadzaglishvili. “Saakashvili is now entering such a phase of starvation that his health … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Officials in Georgia are considering a return to tougher Covid-19 restrictions after a sharp rise in new cases, but are likely to wait until after the second round of the local elections on October 30. Amiran Gamkrelidze, head of the National Center for Disease Control, the key person in managing the pandemic response in … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is mourning the victims of the collapse of a 7-storey building in Batumi, while investigators are working to identify the causes of the tragedy, which killed nine people, including three children. People bring dolls, flowers and candles to the rubble of the collapsed apartment building. Out of the 9 people who were killed … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s local elections have so far earned mixed results, with both the ruling party and the opposition celebrating victory and highlighting their own success. Although the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) won a landslide victory in the proportional list and received 47% of the overall votes, it experienced major setbacks in several provincial cities. Despite … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili allegedly returned on Friday to his home country on Friday after eight and a half years’ absence. Law enforcement authorities arrested the former leader the same evening. The news about the ex-president’s arrest sparked celebrations among the opposition and frustration within the government, and threatened to overshadow preparations for … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party, GD, criticizes EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell for being too timid in his criticism of the leader of the opposition party UNM Nika Melia after a verbal confrontation outside the EU office in Tbilisi on Thursday. Melia approached the GD chairman Irakli Kobakhidze and the two engaged in a heated discussion about … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The largest opposition party’s candidate for Tbilisi mayor has lost his seat in the Georgian parliament. Nika Melia, leader of the largest opposition party United National Movement (UNM), asked for the revocation himself in July, after the ruling party abandoned the EU mediated compromise agreement negotiated by European Council President Charles Michel. However, Melia … Read more
The ombudsman calls for the prosecution of an ultra-nationalist journalist and an archpriest of the Georgian Orthodox Church for organizing violence against journalists and LGBTQ rights activists. Ombudsman Nino Lomjaria said 53 people have been identified as victims of the July 5 gang violence and 27 people have been prosecuted. However, no-one has been prosecuted … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party has dashed the opposition’s hopes of holding early elections for parliament in 2022 as a spokesman ruled it out entirely regardless of how few votes Georgian Dream will be able to get in the local elections this October. “Even if Georgian Dream gets 1% in the local elections, no parliamentary elections … Read more