TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s newly elected parliament opened its first session on Friday with only one party in attendance. All opposition parties are boycotting the parliament despite many rounds of negotiations and efforts by Western diplomats to break the deadlock. Nine parties surpassed the threshold in the October 31 elections with a total proportional list, but the … Read more
GALI, DFWatch–Georgians living in Gali welcome the opening by separatist authorities of Enguri Bridge for travel in one direction, but demand they also allow passage in the other direction across the bridge that connects Abkhazia with Georgia proper. Although Sukhumi does not allow the passage from Gali to Zugdidi, locals think that if the Georgian … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A resident of Gali who is accused by the breakaway authorities of Abkhazia of vandalism and dishonoring the flag, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison. The Georgian side protests the decision and demands his immediate release. The Georgian government says that the co-chairs of the Geneva talks were immediately informed about this … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The third round of negotiations between the Georgian government and opposition ended with minor progress on Monday. The talks were mediated by Western diplomats and aimed at ending the boycott of the newly elected parliament. Nine parties overcame the 1% threshold in the October 31 parliamentary elections, but the ruling Georgian Dream won by … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Council of Europe (CoE) has urged Russia to not delay further the payment of EUR 10 million damages to Georgia for human rights violations when thousands of Georgian citizens were expelled from Russia following a spy row between the two neighboring countries. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in 2014 that … Read more
DFWatch–The separatist authorities in Abkhazia have decided to temporarily open the Enguri checkpoint with Georgia proper from December 3 to 10 for “humanitarian” reasons. Those who possess Abkhaz citizenship or permanent residence there and are Covid-19 free can cross the “border” from 9 am till 7 pm during this period, reads a statement released by … Read more
GALI, DFWatch–The pandemic has caused an extremely difficult situation for tens of thousands of Gali residents whose livelihood depends on commuting to Georgia proper. The restrictions to halt the spread of Covid-19 have exacerbated the situation for locals here in Gali, a mostly ethnic Georgian area of Abkhazia, where residents are already suffering under the … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian government on Thursday announced new restrictions amid a skyrocketing number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, and with a healthcare system on the verge of collapse. The new measures, though anticipated, are much less strict than what many healthcare experts had hoped for. Prior to adopting the new restrictions, the government held consultations … Read more
GALI, DFWatch–School closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic are worsening an already difficult situation in Gali district in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia. Teachers are struggling to continue classes remotely, but with unstable electricity supply and a lack of computers and Internet, few students are able to attend. Suspension of classes and switching to remote … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday found Georgia in violation of ARticle 2 – the right to life – in the high-profile case of torture and death of Georgian sergeant, an Iraq War veteran. In its judgment, the ECHR unanimously held that “there has been a violation of Article 2 of the … Read more