Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Former prison minister: 'I didn't know about abuse until Oct 2012'

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Dimitri Shashkin yesterday said he didn’t know there was abuse in the prisons until October 2012, although nine prison staff were reprimanded in 2011 after the Council of Europe exposed systematic mistreatment. (Maestro.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–The exiled Saakashvili ally Dimitry Shashkin returned to Georgia on Wednesday to answer questions about the abuse in the prisons.

Shashkin was among many officials in the former regime who fled the country after the National Movement’s election

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Demonstrations continue after dismantling of minaret

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The Public Defender calls for an immediate investigation of the violence during a demonstration against the dismantling of a minaret in southern Georgia. (Samkhretis Karibche.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–All the people detained while protesting against the dismantling of a minaret at a Mosque in the village Chela, in southern Georgia, have now been released.

Meanwhile, the protests continue in the village and support rallies are held in the capital

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Gamgebeli detained in village where minaret was dismantled

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In Chela, where a minaret was recently taken down from the local mosque, the head of the local government has been detained. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia on Tuesday detained the head of the local government in Adigeni in the south of the country, where a minaret of mosque was recently dismantled.

Gamgebeli Simon Parunashvili, who is member of the National Movement, is charged with

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Georgia may take part in UN peacekeeping operations

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Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania visited the United States and met Edmond Mulet, the UN’s Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations. (Ministry of Defense.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia may take part in UN-led peacekeeping operations. This is clear after a visit to the U.S. by Defense Minister Irakli Alasania.

During the visit, Alasania and Irakli Dzneladze, head of Joint Staff of Georgia’s armed forces, met with Edmond

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Tension in Bolnisi after vote to impeach gamgebeli

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Conflict along political fault lines were brought to the surface in Bolnisi. (Channel One.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–There was tension outside Bolnisi municipality building on Monday when some members of the city council wanted to hold a secret ballot and impeach the new head of the municipality, who was appointed in January by the Georgian Dream coalition.

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EU concerned about Putin's Abkhazia visit

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De facto president Alexandre Ankvab (left) and Russian president Vladimer Putin. (Kremlin photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–The European Union Delegation to Georgia expresses concern about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia.

The EU delegation on Tuesday issued a statement saying that it recalls that the EU doesn’t

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