TBILISI, August 11 – Georgia’s Justice Ministry has launched a limited-time campaign to make electronic ID cards cheaper for certain groups of citizens. The offer started today and runs until September 5. The idea is to encourage more people to get the cards in order to ensure voters lists are up to date ahead of … Read more
TBILISI, August 8 – While the government followed the longstanding August 8 observance, the opposition began their ceremonies August 7, when many countries also issued statements in support. The opposition, especially the United National Movement (UNM), observed the 2008 war on August 7, while the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party stuck with the well-known date of … Read more
TBILISI, August 8 – Georgian activist Nino Datashvili will stay in jail while awaiting trial, after a court decision this week upheld her detention. She is accused of attacking a parliamentary security officer during a protest, a charge she denies. Datashvili recently underwent a psychiatric evaluation ordered by prosecutors. It was carried out inside a … Read more
The sentencing of Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli to two years in prison has sparked a wave of international condemnation, with diplomats, rights groups, and officials describing the ruling as a blow to media freedom in Georgia. Amaghlobeli, editor of independent newspapers Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was convicted yesterday of slapping a police chief during a protest … Read more
TBILISI, August 6 – A Georgian doctor accused of serious drug offenses was acquitted on Wednesday in a case widely described by opposition figures and rights groups as politically motivated. Giorgi Akhobadze was arrested last December after attending an opposition protest in central Tbilisi and later charged with illegal possession of a large quantity of … Read more
TBILISI, August 6 – A court in the Georgian city of Batumi has sentenced journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli to two years in prison, in a case that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition groups and rights advocates. Amaghlobeli, founder of the independent outlet Batumelebi, was initially charged with attacking a police official during a January protest. … Read more
TBILISI, August 6 – An opposition party in Georgia says its bank account has been seized, in what it claims is political retaliation linked to the scandal surrounding Germany’s ambassador. Lelo party secretary general Irakli Kupradze said the National Bureau of Enforcement, under the Ministry of Justice, had notified the party of the freeze. He … Read more
TBILISI, August 5 – Georgia’s parliament is preparing to release a 430-page investigative report in early September, just weeks ahead of local elections, which could serve as a pretext for banning the largest opposition party. The document, compiled over six months by a special parliamentary commission led by Tea Tsulukiani, probed alleged abuses carried out … Read more
TBILISI, August 5 – Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday evening sharply criticized the landlord of German Ambassador Peter Fischer over tax irregularities—fueling ongoing political controversy involving the high-profile diplomat. The comments marked another escalation in the Georgian Dream (GD) government’s public campaign against Ambassador Fischer, whom senior officials accuse of sympathizing with opposition … Read more
TBILISI, August 4 – Mamuka Khazaradze, the jailed leader of Georgia’s opposition party Lelo, issued a sharp rebuke of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Monday, accusing it of using a smear campaign to target both his family and Germany’s ambassador, Peter Fischer. In a statement from prison, Khazaradze defended the lease agreement under which … Read more