Friday, December 19, 2025

News

Sokhumi claims opposition leader's illness due to food intoxication, not deliberate poisoning

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Abkhazia’s breakaway authorities claim opposition leader Aslan Bzhania’s sudden illness is due to ordinary food intoxication, not deliberate poisoning. Sokhumi thus rejects conclusions by a laboratory in Munich, which found earlier that samples from the leading opposition contender contained high levels of lead and cadmium. De facto deputy prosecutor general, Epshsou Kakulia, told the … Read more

Tbilisi Pride to go ahead despite police statement they can't guarantee event's safety

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Gay rights activists in Georgia are defying threats from conservative groups and lack of police protection as organizers opt for a street rally during Tbilisi Pride. The rally is scheduled for the concluding day of Tbilisi Pride, despite continuous threats by radical groups and a decision by the police to absolve themselves of responsibility … Read more

Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs unable to provide security for Tbilisi Pride, recommends indoors event

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Civil society organizations in Georgia are concerned over the police stance toward the Tbilisi Pride event in two weeks’ time and call upon law enforcers to “take adequate measures to secure security of participants in peaceful assembly”. “It’s the State’s obligation to ensure timely and adequate protection [of Tbilisi Pride participants] from possible violence,” … Read more

Breakaway South Ossetia shuts down more Georgian schools

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AKHALGORI, DFWatch–Tskhinvali plans to close some of its public schools from due to lack of pupils. The list includes two Georgian schools. One the schools to shut its doors from the 2019-2020 school year is located in the village of Akhmaji in the Akhalgori district (Leningor in Ossetian), the second one is in the village … Read more

Zelensky restores Saakashvili's Ukrainian citizenship

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to restore the citizenship of Georgian politician Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. Invigorated by the news of his restored Ukrainian citizenship, Saakashvili said he would return to Ukraine on Wednesday. “From Kiev I’ll be much closer to Tbilisi  […] Ivanishvili will feel my hot breath to his neck,” … Read more

Georgian neo-Nazi sentenced to three and a half years in jail for storing weapons

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TBILISI, DFWatch–A notorious Georgian neo-Nazi was found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years in jail by a Tbilisi court on Friday. Giorgi Chelidze, the head of self-described “fascist” group “Georgian (National) Unity”, was convicted of illegally purchasing and storing firearms. He was detained in September, 2018, and police said they found a … Read more

Abkhazia opposition calls off protest after reaching compromise with de facto authorities

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition in breakaway Abkhazia ended their rally in front of parliament building in Sokhumi on Tuesday, after reaching a compromise with de facto authorities. The sides have agreed to postpone the presidential elections to August 26. The de facto parliament earlier decided to hold elections in July, while the opposition had demanded to … Read more

Abkhazia opposition demands presidential elections postponed after leader's suspected poisoning

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition in Abkhazia rallied in front of the parliament building in Sokhumi Tuesday for the second day, vowing not to stop it until parliament postpones the presidential elections until fall due to the suspected poisoning of their leader. Overnight, opposition activists temporarily blocked the central highway at two locations north and south of … Read more

Georgia's domestic intelligence service SUS warns May 9 rally organizers not to use Communist symbols

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s counter-intelligence service SUS on Tuesday warned the organizers of a May 9 rally to commemorate Soviet victory in World War 2 that they may not use Communist symbols. Such symbols are prohibited by a law Georgia introduced eight years ago called the Freedom Charter. But the organizers of the rally “Immortal Regiment” still … Read more

New lawsuit against opposition TV channel Rustavi 2 may 'kill its editorial policy'

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The director of Georgia main opposition TV company said Monday that the government has launched a new attack against it, and claimed the goal is to kill its editorial policy. Rustavi 2 director Nika Gvaramia also accused billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili of personal involvement in a new lawsuit filed by one of the company’s shareholders, … Read more