TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia has dismissed an appeal by the breakaway region Abkhazia to the United Nations to be given status as an “observer state”. A spokesperson for Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it a propaganda move with no real chance of succeeding. “Occupying regimes have repeatedly tried to propagate similar propaganda to strengthen the image … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko said Monday that Belarus might recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia if President Putin tells him to do so. “As soon as I understand and the President [of the Russian Federation] tells me that there is a need for this,” Lukashenko said in an interview with pro-governmental Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Zurab Adeishvili, a former Georgian justice minister who is an adviser to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, was attacked and beaten in Kyiv on Monday. Adeishvili was approached by four men in the street who proceeded to beat the Georgian politician, writes “Ukrainskaya Pravda” based on a source in the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine and … Read more
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream, after lengthy deliberations, finally submitted a draft resolution in support of Ukraine to parliament on Wednesday for approval, which immediately drew criticism from the opposition after it was revealed that it did not mention neither Russia nor Putin. Two meetings were held between the Georgian Dream and opposition factions on Wednesday … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi Court of Appeals on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Georgian security chief and former KGB operative Igor Giorgadze against DFWatch and its editor Lasha Tughushi, in which he demanded a retraction of information published in a 2016 article. The Court of Appeals fully agreed with and upheld an earlier decision by … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, was given “anti-psychotic drugs” while in custody without a medical need, according to an organization involved in his defense, while his lawyer adds “suspicions grow” this might be done deliberately to impair his mental health. The Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture “Empathy”, which is actively involved in the … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–In Georgia, the government Friday agreed to transfer the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili to a military hospital, after a sudden deterioration of his health. The ex-president’s fifty day long hunger strike has caused a public outrage and a growing pressure from the West. Saakashvili and his lawyers demanded to transfer him to a … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was rushed to a prison hospital in Tbilisi Monday evening, reportedly due to a deteriorating health condition after being on a hunger strike for 39 days. Saakashvili had been held in Rustavi penitentiary since October 1, when he was arrested after returning to his home country for the … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s health condition deteriorated critically Monday, after 25 days of hunger strike. His condition was so serious that he required emergency treatment by doctors. After a while his condition improved, said the former president’s defense lawyer Dimitri Sadzaglishvili. “Saakashvili is now entering such a phase of starvation that his health … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Officials in Georgia are considering a return to tougher Covid-19 restrictions after a sharp rise in new cases, but are likely to wait until after the second round of the local elections on October 30. Amiran Gamkrelidze, head of the National Center for Disease Control, the key person in managing the pandemic response in … Read more