TBILISI, March 11 – A new state audit has found that most municipal properties sold through electronic auction in Georgia drew just one bidder, spotlighting how local governments are privatizing public real estate. The findings, reported by BPN, touch a sensitive subject in Georgia, where privatization of public assets has been a recurring feature of … Read more
TBILISI, March 10 – Georgia’s domestic rail freight has fallen sharply over the past decade, with transport experts blaming neglected branch lines, very low speeds and a system that can no longer compete with road haulage. Speaking on Palitra News, Paata Tsagareishvili, head of the Transport Corridor Research Center (TCRC), said local cargo shipments on … Read more
TBILISI, March 10 – A delegation of parliamentarians from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ended its visit with a blunt message: the country has a dialogue problem, democracy needs real competition, and the mission was denied access to detainees. On Tuesday morning, Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili met OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President … Read more
TBILISI, March 10 – Georgian political analyst Gia Khukhashvili was summoned for questioning by the State Security Service (SSS) on Tuesday after making public comments about security risks connected to the crisis in the Middle East. SSS told Interpressnews that Khukhashvili had been called in for questioning at 12:00 p.m., but did not say what … Read more
TBILISI, March 10 – A new report about alleged Iranian influence in Georgia has triggered a political storm, with Georgia’s domestic intelligence service questioning politicians, a former defense minister, a retired general and a researcher after a series of public statements about possible security threats. The controversy began after former defense minister Tina Khidasheli said … Read more
TBILISI, March 9 – A delegation of parliamentarians from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is in Georgia this week for meetings with government officials, opposition figures and civil society groups. The visit offers an opportunity for the country’s rivaling camps to voice their international message about how to understand political events … Read more
TBILISI, March 9 – A Tbilisi court on Monday kept jailed opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili in custody, rejecting a bid to release him at a pretrial hearing in one of Georgia’s most closely watched criminal cases. The Tbilisi City Court judge decided that Elisashvili would remain in prison. Elisashvili, who heads the Citizens party and … Read more
TBILISI, March 8 – Georgia’s Public Defender marked International Women’s Day on Sunday with a fresh warning that women in the country still face serious threats, from deadly violence at home to unequal treatment in working life. In a statement issued for March 8, Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani said the day remains closely tied to the … Read more
TBILISI, March 7 – Georgia’s newly formed Opposition Alliance moved this week from launch mode into organization mode, holding meetings on protest strategy, non-recognition of the government’s legitimacy, and coordination with civil society groups. The alliance was announced last Sunday, March 2, by a group of opposition parties that said they had agreed on a … Read more
TBILISI, March 7 – Georgia’s domestic intelligence service has opened an investigation after public statements about alleged terrorism-linked activity inside the country, and summoned ex-defense minister Tina Khidasheli and opposition politician Gubaz Sanikidze for questioning. The case originated in statements by Khidasheli, now head of the Civic Idea organization, made on TV Pirveli, that an … Read more