TBILISI, December 12 – Georgia’s parliament speaker blasted non-governmental organizations on Friday, describing the NGO system as a harmful export from the West to Eastern Europe’s fledgling democracies. Speaking on Friday, Shalva Papuashvili said the NGO model imposed on developing countries represents what he called “the greatest evil” created by the West in post-Soviet democracies. … Read more
TBILISI, December 11 – Europe’s human rights court has ruled that Georgia was responsible for several violations during and after the breakup of a riot in June, 2019 dubbed the “Gavrilov Night”. The court found Georgia at fault for excessive police force, botched investigations and breaches of free speech and assembly, while also confirming that … Read more
TBILISI, December 11 – The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) on Wednesday denounced the actions of one of Georgia’s best-known opposition figures, who is currently in pre-trial detention and faces up to 15 years in prison. In a December 10 post on X, the European liberal umbrella group said it does not … Read more
TBILISI, December 10 – Georgia is preparing to file a complaint against the BBC, accusing the UK’s public broadcaster of spreading false information about police crowd-control tactics during anti-government protests a year ago. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the first step will be an appeal to the UK’s media regulator, but that, if needed, he … Read more
TBILISI, December 9 – Georgia’s parliament speaker and jailed opposition figure Aleko Elisashvili have entered a fierce public feud over the meaning of the word “terrorist”. Elisashvili, a former independent MP who recently aligned with the Lelo–Strong Georgia coalition for local elections, was arrested after a dramatic pre-dawn protest at Tbilisi City Court on 29 … Read more
TBILISI, December 8 – A Georgian interior ministry investigation has found that what came out of a police water cannon a year ago was not a World War I era chemical weapon but ordinary tear gas. The claim that a banned chemical weapon was used originates in a BBC report on December 1, which said … Read more
TBILISI, December 4 – The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party confronted the liberal group in European politics Thursday, demanding that ALDE publicly distance itself from opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili. The ultimatum follows Elisashvili’s arrest November 29 on charges of attempting a terrorist act, a case that has fueled intense discussions in Georgia’s divided political scene … Read more
TBILISI, November 28 – The same day as Georgia’s opposition is staging a mass rally, parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili launched a fierce attack on domestic critics and the country’s Western partners. Papuashvili spoke to journalists in parliament on Friday, one year after mass protests turned violent outside the same building on 28 November 2024. He … Read more
TBILISI, November 26 – Georgia’s former president Salome Zourabichvili is signaling that she may make another attempt to unite the country’s fragmented opposition, after comments she made during a visit to France. Speaking at a Paris university, Zourabichvili argued that the current moment calls for coordination between political parties and civil society. She said the … Read more
TBILISI, November 26 – At a hearing on Wednesday, Paata Burchuladze, a well-known opera singer turned opposition figure, told the court that the October 4 rally he helped lead in central Tbilisi was a “peaceful overthrow” carried out by the people, not an attempt at a violent coup as prosecutors claim. Burchuladze is on trial … Read more