TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian government may be preparing the grounds for formally abandoning the country’s NATO aspirations and adopt a neutral status, analysts say. Just ahead of the June 24‑25 NATO summit in The Hague, Georgia’s government announced the closure of its NATO and EU Information Centre by July 1, merging its functions into the Foreign Ministry, a … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Giorgi Gakharia’s party For Georgia is reportedly considering nominating former President Salome Zourabichvili as a “neutral candidate” for mayor of Tbilisi in the upcoming local elections. The party, which received 8% of the vote in the 2024 parliamentary election, has announced the start of its campaign for the municipal elections in October and has … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Temur Katamadze, a political activist and Turkish citizen, was deported from Georgia to Turkey late Monday night, and is now in detention there, according to his wife, Nino Kakulia. She told Interpressnews that Georgian authorities transferred him not via the main Sarpi crossing but near the Armenian border in the country’s south. Katamadze, who … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The United States has granted agreement to Tamar Taliashvili as Georgia’s next ambassador to Washington, marking an improvement in relations between the two countries. The approval reportedly coincided with the surprise resignation of U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan, fueling speculations. Taliashvili, a former MP from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and current … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian constitutional scholar Vakhushti Menabde has sharply criticized the country’s opposition for failing to address urgent democratic concerns ahead of the upcoming local elections. In an interview with Palitra News, Menabde said opposition parties neglected to shape a coherent electoral strategy or spotlight threats to democratic rights. Instead, they became mired in personal disputes … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian constitutional scholar Vakhushti Menabde has sharply criticized the country’s opposition for failing to address urgent democratic concerns ahead of the upcoming local elections. In an interview with Palitra News, Menabde said opposition parties neglected to shape a coherent electoral strategy or spotlight threats to democratic rights. Instead, they became mired in personal disputes … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A temporary parliamentary investigative commission in Georgia is continuing its controversial probe into alleged abuses committed during the 2003–2012 rule of the United National Movement (UNM). The commission, chaired by MPs affiliated with the ruling party and the splinter group “People’s Power,” has received a one-month extension, with its mandate now running until July … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–It caused an outcry in Georgia that leader of United National Movement (UNM), Tina Bokuchava, accused unidentified men of abducting her husband and forcing him to record a video apology. Bokuchava claimed that her husband, Kote Ioseliani, was coerced into apologizing, on camera, for things he said seven years ago about Uta Ivanishvili, son … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–It caused an outcry in Georgia that leader of United National Movement (UNM), Tina Bokuchava, accused unidentified men of abducting her husband and forcing him to record a video apology. Bokuchava claimed that her husband, Kote Ioseliani, was coerced into apologizing, on camera, for things he said seven years ago about Uta Ivanishvili, son … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Batumi City Court will Monday hear the case of Mzia Amaglobeli, an award-winning newspaper editor charged with insulting a police officer. Amaglobeli is the founder of Batumelebi, recipient of the 2009 Free Media Award. She faces both criminal and administrative proceedings, for slapping a police chief during a protest in January. Her detention triggered … Read more