Pankisi Valley, DFWatch – Eid al-Fitr, or the Feast of Breaking the Fast, is a major Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. This year, Eid al-Fitr was celebrated by Muslims worldwide on 6 July. In Pankisi valley, Georgia’s utmost […]
(DFWatch.) (DFWatch.) (DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Up to two hundred locals and environmental activists gathered in Chuberi in Upper Svaneti on Sunday as the protests against the planned Nenskra hydro power plant resumed. Activists argue that if built, the dam on the Nenskra river will deprive […]
A screenshot from the project’s website (mshibzia.com) The new Georgian social media campaign aimed at reaching out to Abkhaz society is an example of a futile activism informed by nationalist narratives which are being used by Georgian political elites to distract society from the core issue of unresolved ethnic conflict […]
Ruslan Asad is an Azerbaijani civil society activist and a co-founder of the Thinking Citizen (Düşünən Vətəndaş) project, which brings together young representatives of Georgia’s ethnic Azerbaijani community. He told DF Watch about the project’s aims, successes, and future plans in the context of issues faced by the community. […]
Photos courtesy of Tamara Bokuchava, Social Photography Caucasus Foundation TBILISI, DFWatch–Resistance against the Nenskra hydro power project in Georgia’s northern Svaneti region has caused locals to restore the traditional ruling body lalkhor in order to increase the community’s impact on the national decision-making process. A congress […]
Svan campaigners protest against Nenskra construction (Facebook) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Svan campaigners declare that their protests will continue as long as no alternatives to the current project assuming flooding of their native valley are presented. […]
A conference held in Tbilisi (DFWatch) Tbilisi, DFWatch – A group of Georgian and Circassian activists commemorated the symbolic anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Circassians by the Russian Empire in the 19th century, marked internationally on 21 May. The activists from the Circassian Cultural Centre in Tbilisi visited the monument dedicated to the victims of the Circassian Genocide in the village of Anaklia, right at the border with Abkhazia, where they laid wreaths. […]
A young Kist man named Musa, who was present in the audience, pointed out that the war in Syria lost its appeal after it became apparent that it was connected to interests of major political powers. Tbilisi, DFWatch – A Salafi imam from Pankisi valley met with Georgian public in order to explain the community’s views on religion, the role of the state, the role of media, sources of radicalism, and gender equality. […]
On 10 May, inhabitants of Ieli and adjacent Svan villages organised a protest demanding an immediate stop to excavation works and asking the company’s employees to leave the village’s territory. (Photo from student environmental movement Green Fist [„მწვანე მუშტი“] Facebook) Tbilisi, DFWatch – A wave of protests and civil activism erupted in Svaneti against a planned gold mining project, while the people behind it remain hidden in offshore shadows. The tiny village of Eli, more commonly known by its Svan name Ieli, […]
‘It doesn’t necessarily mean that these people had anything to do with offshore... Anyone’s name can show up in this database. It’s a database without a brain’, Dave Bloss (left) from OCCRP Caucasus explaines. Global launch of the Offshore Leaks database revealed names of eighty-five Georgian citizens, some of who might potentially be implicated [...]
A mosque in Adjara (DFWatch) Tbilisi, DFWatch – NGO and Muslim activists slam the State Agency for Religious Issues for accusing the civil society of fostering Islamic terrorism and radicalism by pointing out structural violence on behalf of the state and the Georgian Orthodox Church. […]
Tom de Waal (http://carnegieendowment.org/) The senior associate with Carnegie Europe specialising in the Caucasus region, the author of books Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus, Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War and The Caucasus: An Introduction, Thomas de Waal discusses the need for nuanced approaches in Georgian policy towards Abkhazia and the future of Abkhaz–Georgian relations. […]
PM: ‘Peace roadmap’ in the works for Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Still from Youtube) TBILISI, DFWatch–Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced the need for ‘decisive and brave’ steps in relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and revealed that Georgia was working on a peace plan, which is to be consulted with Georgian public opinion and the de facto republics. […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Cultural activists from Pankisi valley stress the importance of strong Chechen–Georgian relations and the need of challenging the existing negative stereotypes. […]
Montenegrin police covered the exposition with tarp following Abkhazia’s refusal to remove it from the fair (Chamber of Commerce of the de-facto Republic of Abkhazia) Abkhazia accuses Georgia of pursuing a policy of isolation and puts a question mark on the restitution of the IPRM, while Georgia points towards individual countries’ policies of non-recognition of Abkhazia. […]
Rally on the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in front of the Saint Ejmiatsin church in Tbilisi (DFWatch) Members of Tbilisi’s Armenian community gathered in front of an Armenian church in Avlabari district following the authorities’ refusal to secure the annual rally in front of the Turkish Embassy demanding recognition of the Armenian Genocide. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Although the Armenian Apostolic Church follows a different liturgical calendar, many Georgian Armenians mark religious holidays on the same days as the Georgian Orthodox. Armenians in Armenia already celebrated Palm Sunday (Tsaghkazard in […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Passover, also known by its Hebrew name, Pesach, is a major religious holiday celebrated by Jews across the world. It commemorates the liberation of Jews by God from the slavery in Egypt and the […]
A sample of leaked IS registration documents (Picture: Zaman al-Wasl) Experts point out inconclusiveness of the analysis of a sample of leaked documents, which mention five Georgian fighters registered with the Islamic State. […]
The family house in Pankisi valley was burnt to ground in a suspected arson case linked to a family feud (ICK.ge) The victim’s family demands an urgent and comprehensive investigation into a suspected arson case, which will otherwise be solved through the application of traditional law. A family house in Pankisi valley was burnt […]
Sputnik Abkhazia TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition suggests that the explosion could be connected to the government’s plans to allow foreign nationals to buy property in Abkhazia, while major political actors call for cross-political solidarity. Members of Abkhazia’s de facto parliament, […]
Leonid Tibilov, de facto president meets with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, March 31, 2016. ‘Let’s wait for the moment when “the stars align”, so we can begin to implement the referendum’s results,’ Tibilov was quoted by TASS news agency (http://presidentruo.org/ photo). TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia accuses Russia of instrumental use of a South Ossetian initiative to conduct a referendum on joining Russia, while Russia continues sending mixed signals to the Tskhinvali leadership. South Ossetian hopes for unification with the Russian Federation […]
MP Azer Suleimanov, still from the video TBILISI, DFWatch–A call to formally recognise the Armenian Genocide further strains interethnic relations in the context of recent hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, upcoming annual genocide commemorations, and impending parliamentary elections. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian authorities are set to strengthen cooperation with China in the areas of trade, transit, and tourism. The Georgian government has expressed interest in making Georgia a part of China’s transit initiatives known colloquially as ‘New Silk […]
(DFWatch) Tbilisi, DFWatch - This year, a number of Christian minorities in Georgia, including the Catholics, Armenians, and Protestants observe Easter, the most important Christian holiday, more than one month before Orthodox Christians. Before Easter, Catholics observe a forty-day long fasting period known as the Great Lent. The last week immediately before Easter is [...]
Mosque in Duisi, Pankisi Gorge The issue of early marriages highlights existing religious divisions in Pankisi valley and competing views on the community’s relation with the Georgian state. In a conversation with local Radio WAY (‘We’ in Chechen), member of Pankisi’s Council of Elders Khaso Khangoshvili declared that early marriages won’t be endorsed by [...]
Novwruz in Marneuli (DFWatch) MARNEULI, DFWatch–Hundreds of people celebrated the coming of spring in the city of Marneuli, populated predominantly by ethnic Azerbaijanis. Nowruz (Novruz bayramı in Azerbaijani) is a major holiday of Persian and Zoroastrian origins, celebrated nowadays […]
This Affects You Too demonstrates in Tbilisi (DFWatch) TBILISI, DFWatch–Activists from campaign Es Shen Gekheba rallied against use of people’s private life for intimidation and blackmail and demanded concrete steps from the government. Up to one thousand activists walked through Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue […]
Protest at parliament in Kutaisi (Identoba) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Dream MP slurs Identoba’s activists who stage a protest against proposed constitutional changes in the definition of marriage. A group of activists from NGO Identoba (‘Identity’) gathered today in front of the Parliament […]
The only Yazidi cemetery in Tbilisi is located on a hill overlooking the city in Upper Chughureti district. Until less than a year ago, the area around the cemetery used to be a site of illegal garbage disposal. It was finally rehabilitated in June 2015. […]
Arsen Kharatyan Director of Armenian-language radio Aliq Media, Arsen Kharatyan discusses challenges facing minority-language media in Georgia and the anti-Armenian sentiment in the country. DF Watch: Can you tell us about the history of the radio? […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Protesters continue to occupy a building at Tbilisi State University, demanding a transparent process for electing the university’s management amid allegations of interference by the State Security Agency. On the second day of protest, […]
Protest at TSU (DFWatch) TBILISI, DFWatch–Activists demand transparent funding mechanisms for student government’s projects over allegations of misspending. On Monday, 7 March, approximately 300 activists gathered in front of the administrative building […]
Aiup Borchashvili. (ick.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–A court in Tbilisi sentenced three men to prison on Monday for associating with or assisting a foreign terrorist organization. Aiup Borchashvili, former imam of the mosque in the village of Jokolo in Pankisi valley, was sentenced to 14 years […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Activists demonstrated in front of the headquarters of Georgian Industrial Group in Tbilisi in solidarity with the miners who are on strike in Tkibuli. In the evening of 26 February, a group of up to 200 protesters […]
Nona and Meka Khangoshvili (DFWatch) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Kist, Chechen, Ingush activists and Georgian sympathisers commemorated victims of 1944 deportations with screening of a Chechen film depicting details of the tragedy. […]
Friday prayer in Shia mosque (DFWatch) Soghanlughi, DFWatch – Global Shia–Sunni conflict found its way into a small Azerbaijani community on the outskirts of Tbilisi.What started as a local tension in the predominantly Muslim settlement of Soghanlughi (Soğanlıq in Azerbaijani), which is a part of Ponichala district in the southeast of Tbilisi, escalated into a conflict informed by events in the Middle East, proving increasingly divisive for the community. […]
Leonid Tybylty (Tibilov), de facto President of SO, claims that ‘knowing that there would be a full-scale war… almost all of the Georgian population of Tskhinval region left their homes destroyed and burnt their houses down, leaving nothing behind. Tbilisi, DFWatch – As allegations of ethnic cleansing emerge, Russia and South Ossetia back off from cooperating on August 2008 war crimes investigation by the International Criminal Court. Emotions in Tbilisi, Tskhinval (Tskhinvali), […]
PIK employees protest against closure of the channel in front of parliament in 2012 (IPN) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Georgian experts focus on security aspects of countering Russian propaganda in the debate on reviving a Russian-language TV channel. An initiative to create a Russian-language TV channel in Georgia was voiced by Paata Zakareishvili, minister of reintegration and civic equality, during the cabinet meeting on 11 February, Novosti Gruziya reported. […]
New passport and residence permit (Sputnik Apsny) Tbilisi, DFWatch – New legislation doesn’t solve the problems of Abkhazia’s Georgians, who still find themselves in limbo of no right to vote and own property. ‘Issuance of new passports for inhabitants of Abkhazia […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A new report by the Council of Europe (CoE) criticizes Georgia for not having done enough to protect minorities and prevent inter-faith tension. The report deals with the protection of minority rights in Georgia and assesses the legislative steps taken […]
Prayers in Batumi pray outside as the only mosque is crowded (DF Watch) TBILISI, DFWatch–On December 10, the International Human Rights Day, the Public Defender as usual published a brief report about the situation in Georgia in terms of human rights. DF Watch compiled an overview of the most important issues discussed in the report. […]
The same man voting three times in polling station No. 03/11 in Shengavit, Yerevan. Pictures by Bianca Bernardi for the Citizen Observer Initiative. Widespread electoral fraud allegations and the growing gap between the political élites and the society confirm worrying trends in Armenia’s democratic development. On Sunday, 6 December a nationwide constitutional referendum was held in Armenia. […]
Note on poster: “2015 – the year of integration with Russia” South Ossetia’s declaration of holding a referendum on joining Russia seems to have more to do with local power dynamics than regional geopolitics. The recent South Ossetian announcement of its intentions to hold a referendum on joining the Russian Federation came about suddenly. While announcing his decision, […]
A gathering was held on May 17, 2015 in secrecy to avoid possible harasment for radical groups (DFWatch) A major ‘family values’ conference will be held in Tbilisi on the 17 May amidst fears that it might be yet another attempt at silencing LGBT rights activism Georgia was chosen as the site for the tenth World Congress of Families, Christian News Wire reported. […]
Abandoned village of Guli (Gul) Becho (Bechwi) community (DFWatch) Mestia, DFWatch – Svan language activists explain why it’s necessary to stop the decline of the language amidst reluctance on behalf of the authorities and the Church. ‘A language is a dialect with an army and navy’, […]
Sukhumi (DFwatch) The postponement of the full implementation of the treaty on ‘Alliance and Strategic Partnership’, cabinet reshuffles, and demonstrations of opposition parties hint at Abkhazia’s increasingly knotty relation with Russia. […]
Duisi, Pankisi (DFWatch) Duisi, DFWatch – Counterextremism efforts in the Pankisi Valley fall short as they fail to address root causes of radicalisation processes in the region. Following the reporting on Georgian citizens leaving the country to join the ranks of foreign fighters in the civil war in Syria and Iraq, the question of religious radicalisation in the Pankisi Valley has become one of the most debated security issues in Georgia. […]
Levon Chidilyan (Alart) DF Watch discusses roots and manifestations of the anti-Armenian sentiment in Georgia with director of Cultural, Educational and Youth Centre Hayartun, Levon Chidilyan. DF Watch: Mr Chidilyan, how representative is Hayartun for Georgia’s Armenian c […]
Opening of the construction (armenianchurch.ge) Javakheti’s Armenian community celebrated the opening of a new church in the village of Didi Aragiali. A ceremony of opening a new church in the village of Didi Aragiali of Ninotsminda municipality inhabited by ethnic Armenian majority was held on 13 October, news portal jnews.ge reports. […]
Daghestan Bodies of five residents of Suleyman-Stalskiy district were found in local forests by power agents. According to the official information, the men had their hands tied and were killed by the insurgents as a retaliation for cooperating with the police. Authorities also announced that a […]
Commemoration of the 22 year anniversary from the Abkhazian War. Heroes Square, Tbilisi (Defense Ministry) As the question of political status of Abkhazia remains a major challenge to peace and security in the region, the two societies commemorate the events of 1993 in radically different manners. As twenty-two years have passed since the end of the war in Abkhazia, […]
Natia Gvianishvili, director of NGO Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group and Nika Ghviniashvili, manager of NGO LGBT Georgia Resource Centre talk about transgenderness and the issues faced by transgender people in Georgia. What is transgenderness? Natia Gvianishvili: […]
DFWatch (5–18 September 2015) Daghestan On September 13 local elections took place in the republic. The Party of Russia’s Veterans earned 69% of votes in the city of Buynaksk, while United Russia earned 66% […]
Marneuli (Dominik K. Cagara) Tserakvi, DFWatch – A pilot project on participatory budgeting brings the population of Marneuli district closer to the decision-making process and brings democratic participation to a new level. One Caucasus Festival ended on Saturday, but the organizers took steps to secure its pro-democratic overtone in the long run. […]
DFWatch (22–28 August 2015) Daghestan Former mayor of Makhachkala, Said Amirov, was sentenced to life by a court in Rostov-on-Don on 27 August. His relative Yusup Dzhaparov was sentenced to 18 years in penal colony. […]
One Caucasus in Tserakvi (Dominik K. Cagara) Tserakvi, DFWatch - Festival brings south Georgia’s multi-ethnic community together with visitors from Armenia and Azerbaijan for music, art, sport, and activism. One Caucasus Festival kicked off yesterday in Tserakvi in Marneuli district, turning the tiny village into a lively melting pot of local and international guests. [...]
One Caucasus Festival Tbilisi, DFWatch – Ethnic Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian activists from Marneuli district take part in preparations for the One Caucasus Festival to be held on 27–29 August in the village of Tserakvi. […]
People crowding in order to buy tickets for UEFA Super Cup (DFWatch) A group of Abkhaz football fans faced harsh criticism in Abkhazia for travelling to Tbilisi for the UEFA Super Cup. The UEFA Super Cup football match between Spanish teams, […]
DFWatch (15–21 August 2015) Dagestan According to National Antiterrorist Committee of Russia, the leader of the Vilayyat Daghestan Mountainous Sector of the Caucasian Emirate, Gadzhi Abdullayev (known as Abu Dujana), was killed in course of the […]
Poster from ‘Anonymous’ exhibition organised by Eteri Chkadua in collaboration with Identoba and Europe House as displayed in Identoba’s office. (DF Watch) TBILISI, DFWatch–While transphobia remains a societal and legal issue in Georgia, NGO activists try to raise awareness of the problem and exercise pressure on the authorities. As some in Georgia are still […]
DFWatch (8–14 August 2015) Daghestan According to the Russian Investigative Committee, leader of the Caucasian Emirate, Magomed Suleymanov (A.K.A. Abu Usman Gimrinskiy), […]
