TBILISI, September 6 – Prosecutors in Georgia have reopened the case of an assumed suicide of a political activist, after new claims by jailed former prime minister Irakli Garibashvili. In a letter from prison this week, Garibashvili asked what the real cause of Lazare Jorbenadze’s death had been and said unanswered questions remained around several … Read more
TBILISI, August 27 – Mamuka Mdinaradze, one of Georgian Dream’s most prominent figures, abruptly resigned as regional development minister on Thursday. Mdinaradze told a special briefing that he also was leaving politics after a decade in public life; a decision that was his own and that he had been considering it for several weeks. He … Read more
TBILISI, August 24 – Georgian prosecutors on Monday charged former prime minister Irakli Garibashvili with taking 750,000 GEL of bribes in relation to secret Defense Ministry purchases. The Prosecutor General’s Office said the case concerns three classified procurements in 2022 for medical equipment and supplies needed by the Defense Ministry. Garibashvili was prime minister at … Read more
TBILISI, August 19 – Georgia’s jailed former prime minister Irakli Garibashvili claims an anti-corruption crackdown was designed to put him behind bars and destroy him politically. The confrontation began on Monday, with Garibashvili issuing a statement from prison saying he held Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili and the government fully responsible for the safety of … Read more
TBILISI, August 9 – A planned Georgian law to protect national values is drawing warnings that it could restrict criticism of public figures, writers and other cultural icons. The package, whose exact wording has not been specified, is expected to be introduced when parliament begins its autumn session. Georgian Dream lawmaker Archil Gorduladze said work … Read more
TBILISI, August 5 – Georgia’s opposition United National Movement has scrapped its top leadership posts and replaced them with a temporary governing council as part of a reform process. The decision was approved at a party congress on Wednesday, Rezonansi reported. The posts of party chair, secretary general and other senior leadership positions were abolished. … Read more
TBILISI, August 4 – Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused opposition politicians and activists of using “Russophobia” as a political tool, triggering a sharp backlash just days before the anniversary of the 2008 war with Russia. In a social media post on Tuesday, Kobakhidze argued that many of today’s most vocal anti-Russian figures had … Read more
TBILISI, August 4 – Georgia’s ruling party is preparing possible new legislation to protect “national identity”, a move supporters say is needed to defend traditional values and critics warn could deepen social divisions. The Georgian Dream initiative follows the creation of several groups in recent days claiming to defend Georgian identity, national unity, traditions and … Read more
TBILISI, July 31 – The leadership struggle in Georgia’s largest opposition party continues as United National Movement chair Tina Bokuchava questioned why a key party meeting was held while she was away from Tbilisi. The United National Movement’s political council met on Thursday, July 30, amid what party officials described as heated internal debate. It … Read more
TBILISI, July 30 – Georgia will abolish its Ministry of Regional Development in September, just over a year after it was created as a separate ministry. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on Wednesday that regional policy will instead be handled by a state minister. The post will go to Mamuka Mdinaradze, a former head of … Read more