AKHALGORI, DFWatch–South Ossetia has postponed for a month the coming into force of a new regulation which makes it harder for Akhalgori residents to cross the de facto border. On December 26, Tskhinvali adopted a new regulation which makes it much harder to cross the de facto border between Akhalgori and Georgia proper. The regulation … Read more
GALI, DFWatch–A record number of people crossed Enguri bridge on New Year’s Eve this year – in both directions. The queue spanned almost the entire length of the 1km long bridge which connects territory controlled by Georgia’s central government and breakaway Abkhazia. “No one has seen such a thing here. The border guards say thousands … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The parliament in Georgia is to consider a proposal by a far-right group to ban the wearing of burqa and niqab in public. The bill was proposed by Emzar Kvitsiani, a member of parliament from the socially conservative political party Alliance of Patriots. The party is often accused of having pro-Russian sentiments, but party … Read more
The House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the US Congress, has passed Georgia Support Act, HR 6219, reasserting the United States’ support for its sovereignty and opposition to the forceful and illegal Russian invasion of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia.
AKHALGORI, DFWatch–The de facto head of administration in Akhalgori, who is known for his anti-Georgian policies, has resigned, but received praise from de facto president Leonid Bibilov, who pledged to find a new job for him in the government in Tskhinvali. If an ethnic Georgian was coming to the office of Philip Khachirov, he didn’t … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Seven jailed members of the Donbass Battalion have gone on hunger strike in Tbilisi, protesting their detention and claiming that the police planted illegal items. The six Ukrainian and one Georgian citizen are charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and were placed in pre-trial detention by Tbilisi City Court on Tuesday. During … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian police have detained six Ukrainian and one Georgia citizen who are members of the Donbass Battalion, a volunteer detachment of Ukraine’s National Guard. The seven are suspected of ‘illegal purchase and possession of firearms, ammunition and explosive devices’, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated. Semen Semenchenko, opposition MP to the Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and commander … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Several thousand people attended a rally in Tbilisi Sunday to support the United Opposition and its demand to dissolve parliament and hold snap parliamentary elections. The opposition repeated its claim that the presidential election was falsified and therefore illegitimate, demanded snap elections and offered the government an ‘ultimatum’: Either negotiate in ‘a different legal … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Chidaoba has been added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The traditional Georgian style of wrestling has bred dozens of Olympic and world champions in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling as well as judo. “The practice is a complex phenomenon that combines elements of wrestling, music, dance and special … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A regional official in the United Opposition is in a critical condition after being stabbed outside his house, five days ahead of the runoff election for president. Two persons implicated in the murder attempt are ‘associated with Georgian Dream’, the opposition claims. Georgian Dream and the authorities vehemently denied having any ties with the … Read more