DFWatch staff 
GALI, DFwatch–In the village of Tagiloni in the Gali district of breakaway Abkhazia, there has been an explosion of cases of an illness locals suspect to be Covid-19, following a burial feast held ten days ago. Locals reached out to DFWatch, to appeal for help from Tbilisi, saying there is a severe shortage of medical … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition in Georgia breathed a sigh of relief Thursday, as Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia announced his resignation and the MInistry of Internal Affairs postponed the arrest of Nika Melia, leader of the largest opposition party in the country, UNM. Opposition leaders had spent the night at the UNM headquarters to protect Melia from … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Five out of eight opposition parties and blocks which passed one percent barrier in 2020 parliamentary election – UNM, European Georgia, Lelo, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Labour Party – voice their support for and pledge to defend UNM’s Nika Melia in the face of his impending arrest after the Wednesday’s court ruling. Several smaller political groups … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The leader of Georgia’s main opposition party faces imprisonment after participating in a protest in 2019. The prosecutor’s office asked parliament on Friday to strip Nika Melia of his immunity as a member of parliament. If parliament agrees – and that is a very likely scenario – then Melia will be remanded in custody … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A video allegedly depicting the forced engagement of an underage girl has sparked public outrage in Georgia and even in neighboring Azerbaijan, where the ombudsman asked her Georgian counterpart to get involved. The case gained country-wide recognition after a video was posted on social media February 8 allegedly depicting the engagement party of a … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Amid growing discontent and irritation among the population, the Georgian government is lifting some of the most painful restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. From Monday, February 8, public transport in major cities will be allowed to operate, while from February 15, the government will lift restrictions on markets, reopen cafes and restaurants, and … Read more
One of the opposition parties in Georgia announced Friday that they are calling off their boycott of parliament, breaking ranks with the rest of the opposition, which have held that the October 31 election was fraught with violations and should be annulled. Chairman of the Citizens’ Party and urban preservationist Alexander (Aleko) Elisashvili said Friday … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Penitentiary authorities in Georgia have unleashed “prisoners managed by the administration” to systematically carry out “verbal attacks, threats and aggression” against representatives of the Public Defender’s Office, Ombudswoman Nino Lomjaria said on Wednesday. The PDO earlier released a report claiming the management model of semi-open prisons was based on an informal hierarchy of prisoners, … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian opposition’s boycott of parliament after the October 31 election is in doubt, after one of the parties indicated they will break off the boycott. Aleko Elisashvili, leader of the Citizens party, said Wednesday that he will announce the party’s decision to take up their two seats in parliament in a few days. … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia plans to gradually lift Covid-19 related restrictions as the most recent statistics show a reduction both in new cases and the number of deaths, the country’s chief epidemiologist Amiran Gamkrelidze said on Monday. This process will be accompanied by an increase in the total number of tests and the start of vaccinations in … Read more