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
The Georgian opposition should call off their threats of boycotting parliament and instead fight for change within the parliament, a senior US State Department official told the traveling press at a briefing Wednesday. “So to see them calling for a boycott again is like watching the same movie again. We’re encouraging them to go into … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A few months ago, Georgia was commended for its success in containing Covid-19, but in the last few weeks the country has seen a record spread of the virus causing the disease. There are growing concerns that the health care system is failing to properly treat a large portion of those infected. This is … Read more
At least one person was injured during a brawl at the offices of the Georgian Football Federation Friday, during an opposition rally against the presence of high-ranking government officials at the UEFA Cup qualifier between Georgia and North Macedonia in Tbilisi. The match, which Georgia lost 0:1, was played without spectators due to Covid-19 restrictions, … Read more
Government and opposition representatives met for the first time Thursday evening at the residence of US Ambassador Kelly Degnan to look for solutions to the continuing political crisis in the country. The meeting lasted three hours and was attended by representatives of all major parties as well as the speaker of parliament. After it was … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Shots were fired outside the residence of Georgian Dream leader, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili on Friday, during a rally by the opposition party United National Movement and its allies to protest what they call “total rigging” of the October 31 parliamentary election. No-one was injured in the shooting. Opposition activists say that several bullets were … Read more