DFWatch staff 
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
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Public Defender calls for postponing the local elections amid skyrocketing numbers of new Covid-19 cases and deaths. Nino Lomjaria’s call is backed by the opposition, but the government categorically rules out postponing the poll, which is scheduled for October. “We have more than 60-70 dead per day. What more stringent regulations should we … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Georgian National Platform, a coalition of more than 200 non-governmental organizations, expresses concern over an oil spill off Russia’s Black Sea coast and calls on the Georgian government to take appropriate measures to prevent the spill from causing major environmental destruction and threatening the Georgian coastline. In the statement … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch-Twenty two citizens of Georgia are stuck in Kabul and are unable to return to Georgia. They were scheduled to fly off on a Ukrainian plane on Monday, but were unable to reach the airport due to security concerns. They are currently in a safe place near Kabul, though they say the road to … Read more