TBILISI, October 17 – In the first three quarters of 2025, the government of Georgia granted refugee status to 11 foreigners, and humanitarian status to 20 others, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Most of those receiving status came from Ukraine or Turkey. Under the refugee regime, seven Turkish citizens, one Russian … Read more
TBILISI, October 16 – Georgia expelled 851 foreign citizens between January and September this year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs published Thursday. The quarterly breakdown shows a steady rise across 2025: 219 expulsions in the first quarter, 306 in the second, and 326 in the third. By nationality, India and Iran … Read more
TBILISI, October 6 – Georgia’s Catholic community celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on Monday, with the country’s State Agency for Religious Issues extending official greetings to the Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus and its parishioners. The feast, known locally as Savadis Ghvtismshoblis Dghesastsauli, honors the Virgin Mary under the title of … Read more
TBILISI, September 28 – Today the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia is observing the Feast of the Holy Cross at Varaga, a major religious holiday dating back to the 7th century. The State Agency for Religious Issues announced its congratulations to the Armenian Church, its Georgian dioceses, and worshippers across the country. According to the … Read more
TBILISI, September 24 – Human rights activist Samira Bayramova has released a video showing a man pulling out a gun during an argument outside a shawarma stand near Marjanishvili Square. Bayramova, who posted the footage on social media, said the confrontation involved a local Azerbaijani man from Bolnisi, a town in southern Georgia with a … Read more
TBILISI, August 5 – Georgian authorities have deported 22 foreign nationals from 11 countries, citing violations of immigration law. The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the deportations followed a series of “complex operations” carried out in recent days across the country. Those deported include citizens of Iraq, Russia, Iran, India, Turkey, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Jordan, … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian Dream is in the process of preparing a legislative initiative to “protect society from pseudo-liberal ideology” and its inevitable harmful consequences.” The country may face such a situation when “we will be asked to legalize the so-called civil partnership”, says Mamuka Mdinaradze, majority leader at the parliament. Opposition political parties dub this as … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgians are increasingly positive about minorities, including LGBT+ people, according to the new survey commissioned by The Council of Europe Office in Georgia, which covers a period between 2018 and 2021. The CoE presented key findings of the study Monday, which demonstrates that knowledge and appreciation of diversity in Georgian society increased … 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–A young human rights activist who was stabbed to death in Tbilisi nearly two weeks ago was murdered by members of a neo-Nazi group, Georgian civic activists say. Vitali Safarov, a 25 year old employee of a Georgian non-governmental organization (NGO) advocating minority rights, was severely beaten and stabbed several times at a pub … Read more