TBILISI, August 13 – Georgia’s far right Alt Info movement, running under the name Conservatives for Georgia, has nominated Zurab Makharadze to challenge incumbent mayor Kakha Kaladze in Tbilisi. The Central Election Commission assigned the party ballot slot No. 3, and Alt Info says it will also compete for city council seats in the capital … Read more
TBILISI, August 12 – A Georgian court has sentenced opposition activist Anatoli Gigauri, a member of the United National Movement (UNM), to two years in prison for resisting police during a protest last November. Prosecutors had initially charged him with assaulting a police officer, which carried a sentence of four to seven years. The judge … Read more
TBILISI, August 12 – A group of 19 journalists and camera operators who were injured during street protests in March 2023 have sued Georgia at the European Court of Human Rights. The demonstrations took place after parliament passed the first reading of the controversial foreign influence law, and saw police use force to disperse crowds. … Read more
TBILISI, August 11 – The United National Movement (UNM) will ignore a decision by authorities to change the opposition party’s ballot number. UNM lost its official ballot number – in use for decades – for the upcoming October 4 local elections, after failing to register with the Central Election Commission (CEC). UNM figure Irakli Pavlenishvili … 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