Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Electoral reform in deadlock, opposition threatens resuming rallies in Georgia

Political conflict in Georgia over electoral reform has escalated again amid disagreement between the government and main opposition forces, as the latter accuses the Georgian Dream of renouncing an agreement struck in March 8. The tension is so high some opposition politicians threaten to resume protest rallies despite Covid 19 restrictions. In particular, the government, … Read more

Tskhinvali regime revives the city’s Soviet-era name, Stalinir

The head of South Ossetia puppet regime Anatoly Bibilov seems to revive Soviet-era name of Tskhinvali. The city, which was a capital of South Ossetia Autonomous Oblast, between 1934-1961 bore the name of Soviet leader Josef Stalin- Staliniri or Stalinir in Ossetian. It was a common thing in the USSR when major cities and towns … Read more

Farmers took to the streets, blocked major highway protesting strict quarantine measures

Dozens of farmers took to the streets in Marneuli municipality Wednesday protesting strict quarantine regime and appealing to the authorities for assistance. Farmers, mostly ethnic Azerbaijani from nearby settlements, assembled at Shulaveri, a village five km south from Marneuli, an administrative center in Kvemo Kartli region, and blocked traffic on a road leading to Georgian-Armenian … Read more

Georgia extends state of emergency, vows to ease some restrictions in May

Georgia extends state of emergency by one month till May 22. “This decision will allow us to prepare for the lifting of restrictions,” said President Salome Zurabishvili on Tuesday, after announcing the decree. “The measures undertaken during this month helped us to control and check the spread and scale of the disease. However, the challenge … Read more

Ex-defense minister sentenced for participating in Gavrilov Night clashes

Irakli Okruashvili, who served for various important offices under President Mikheil Saakashvili in early 2000s, was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for taking part in the Gavrilov Night clashes with police. Initially he was accused of attempting coup d’état but later was charged with organizing of and participating group violence by the … Read more

Prominent Georgian doctor says the country will overcome pandemic with minimal losses

The peak of covid19 pandemic in Georgia will come in two or three weeks, a prominent medical doctor of infectious diseases said on Tuesday, adding that he predicts total number of cases at about 1,000. “Georgia will overcome this harshest challenge with minimal losses,” said Dr. Tengiz Tsertsvadze, Director of the Infectious Diseases, AIDS and … Read more

Additional flights designated to evacuate stranded Georgians, but much more still needed

Georgia designates additional emergency flights to evacuate its nationals from abroad due to covid19 pandemic. However, the demand is so high the carrier’s sales portal was virtually flooded and broken in few minutes after sales started for the first flight. Up to 5,000 Georgians have been evacuated since Covid19 outbreak from different countries, the government … Read more

Full list of businesses permitted during quarantine

The government of Georgia on Tuesday released a list of 18 “economic directions”, which are permitted to keen on their activities during tightened quarantine measures. The list includes: – Medical facilities. – Businesses related to production, distribution and sale of food, and related commodities, including products for pets, veterinary, pesticides, packing materials, etc. – Mills, … Read more

Covid19 update: Georgia bans public gatherings, passenger traffic

Georgia introduces new measures to tackle covid19 spread inside the country as total number of cases reaches 61 with seven new cases reported on Monday. The decree issued by the government on March 23 bans all social gatherings which involve ten people or more, including funerals, weddings, birthday parties, rallies, etc. The decree has been … Read more

Azerbaijan unexpectedly frees journalist who was secretly abducted in Tbilisi three years ago

Azerbaijan’s authorities released on Tuesday Afgan Mukhtarli, an investigative journalist convicted on falsified charges. The released was ordered by the court, his lawyer Neymat Karimli said. He immediately left the country and flew to Germany, his wife Leyla Mustafayeva said. The release might be connected to Nowruz celebrations, Azerbaijan’s news agency Turan reports. Afgan Mukhtarli, … Read more