No new cases of coronavirus, except the one confirmed on Wednesday, have reported in Georgia so far, and public officials affirm citizens that situation is under control. “At this stage in Georgia there is no risk of a widespread coronavirus infection and therefore there is no threat of the epidemic outbreak,” said health minister Ekaterine … Read more
Georgia ponders suspending direct flights to Iran amid the growing fear of coronavirus outbreak in the country. The government of Georgia has been discussing the issue for two days, said Amiran Gamkrelidze, the director of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC). Ultimately, the final decision is up to a special coordination … Read more
“I ensure you this government will be finished in a year,” said Vano Merabishvili, former PM and ex-minister of interior, on Thursday after release from prison where he served almost seven years. Merabishvili was an iconic figure in the government led by Mikheil Saakashvili and one of his closest allies. He’s been widely regarded in … Read more
The political confrontation in Georgia hit another low point on Monday after the Supreme Court sentenced Giorgi “Gigi” Ugulava, key opposition politician, to 3 years in jail for diverting public funds during his tenure as Tbilisi Mayor in 2005-2013. Opposition claims it’s a political persecution and the government led by Georgian Dream is steadily drifting … Read more
Embattled de facto president of breakaway Abkhazia Raul Khajimba had to file his resignation amid growing protests of opposition on Sunday evening. Immediately before the resignation, a group of about a hundred of opposition supporters came to his state datcha near Sokhumi to stage a rally demanding him stepping down. Meanwhile, few hours before, Khajimba … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Raul Khajimba, de facto president of the Georgian breakaway region Abkhazia, threatens to impose a state of emergency after opposition activists stormed his office on Wednesday. “I am in Sukhumi at the workplace in the state building,” Khajimba was quoted by Interfax. The authorities work to “localize” the unrest and maintain the “constitutional order”, … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A prominent Georgian medical doctor was released on December 28 after spending 50 days in South Ossetian captivity for “illegal border crossing”. After his release on Saturday, Vazha Gaprindashvili emphasized that he has never admitted crossing the border, which is not recognized as such by Georgia. “My position was from the first day [of captivity], … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Tskhinvali refuses to reopen the passage to Akhalgori, a predominantly ethnic Georgian district of South Ossetia, unless Georgia disbands the checkpoint in Tsnelisi, the de facto president of the breakaway republic said on Thursday. “You address me as the president, but the problem should not be solved by me […]. You should address the … Read more
Georgia’s opposition TV channels have slammed the financial sanctions by the government as politically motivated and vow to keep on “critical broadcasting” amid what they dub as growing pressure by Georgian Dream authorities. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance seized bank accounts of and started to forcefully collect overdue taxes from private TV channels, including … Read more
Tskhinvali regime on Friday sentenced a prominent Georgian medical doctor to twenty months in jail for “illegal crossing” of “state border” of the breakaway republic. Vazha Gaprindashvili who is a well-known Georgian medical doctor and currently presides the Association of Orthopedists and Traumatologists of Georgia, was detained in mid-November in Akhalgori where he allegedly travelled … Read more