Saturday, May 30, 2026

News

Resignation of PM fails to defuse Georgia's political crisis, as incoming PM vows to 'restore order', hinting that UNM leader Melia may still be arrested

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition in Georgia breathed a sigh of relief Thursday, as Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia announced his resignation and the MInistry of Internal Affairs postponed the arrest of Nika Melia, leader of the largest opposition party in the country, UNM. Opposition leaders had spent the night at the UNM headquarters  to protect Melia from … Read more

Georgia on the verge of fierce escalation: opposition prepares to resist arrest of UNM leader after controversial court ruling

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Five out of eight opposition parties and blocks which passed one percent barrier in 2020 parliamentary election – UNM, European Georgia, Lelo, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Labour Party – voice their support for and pledge to defend UNM’s Nika Melia in the face of his impending arrest after the Wednesday’s court ruling. Several smaller political groups … Read more

Georgia lifts some coronavirus restrictions after week of protests

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Amid growing discontent and irritation among the population, the Georgian government is lifting some of the most painful restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. From Monday, February 8, public transport in major cities will be allowed to operate, while from February 15, the government will lift restrictions on markets, reopen cafes and restaurants, and … Read more

Georgia's Public Defender says representatives are threatened by Soviet-style inmate leaders

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Penitentiary authorities in Georgia have unleashed “prisoners managed by the administration” to systematically carry out “verbal attacks, threats and aggression” against representatives of the Public Defender’s Office, Ombudswoman Nino Lomjaria said on Wednesday. The PDO earlier released a report claiming the management model of semi-open prisons was based on an informal hierarchy of prisoners, … Read more

Georgia to lift some Covid-19 restrictions after drop in number of infections

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia plans to gradually lift Covid-19 related restrictions as the most recent statistics show a reduction both in new cases and the number of deaths, the country’s chief epidemiologist Amiran Gamkrelidze said on Monday.  This process will be accompanied by an increase in the total number of tests and the start of vaccinations in … Read more

Novosibirsk Opera terminates contract with wife of former leader of Georgian opposition party UNM

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TBILISI, DFWatch–A Russian theater in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, which was supposed to be headed by the wife of a prominent Georgian opposition politician, has terminated its contract with her. Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater said the decision was provoked by the fact that former Bolshoi prima ballerina Nino Ananiashvili made a premature public … Read more

Georgia shuts down again due to Covid-19, brings back nightly curfew

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia on Sunday re-introduced strict Covid-19 restrictions that will last until January 15. The rationale behind the measures adopted by the government in November was to reduce people’s mobility amid a worrying rise in the number of cases, which were well above 4,000 new cases a day during that month and continued growing. After … Read more

Georgia's ruling party softens stance on two controversial bills severely limiting oppposition parties

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Facing growing criticism from the West, Georgian Dream seems to soften its strict stance towards the opposition. Although parliament on Wednesday adopted a bill at the first reading that strips all opposition parties of their state funding, GD said it would send the controversial bill for review either to the Venice Commission, a Council … Read more