Monday, February 16, 2026

The Dry Bridge in Tbilisi – a market of memories

Old cameras and Soviet memorabilia are among the many things for sale on the Dry Bridge in Tbilisi. (Photo: Mari Nikuradze.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – For many years, Goga has been selling various old things in downtown Tbilisi. He mostly sells to tourists, but also to local collectors. He can’t even remember when he started, but really enjoys it, as most of his stuff is handmade by himself.

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How tourists see Georgia and what they expect

Luis from Ecuador has been traveling around the world for the last seven years, now stopping by to taste the Georgian dish khinkali. (Photo: Mari Nikuradze.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Luis from Ecuador has been traveling for seven years around the world. This time he stops in Georgia for a while. He hadn’t heard much about this country, but stopped by here on his way to somewhere else. Then he decided to stay for several weeks.

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Hard luck if you are a Roma in Tbilisi

Many Roma families lack identity papers and are unable to enrol their children in the school system. (Photo: Mari Nikuradze.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Walking the streets of Tbilisi, at several spots you will see groups of children dressed in worn-out, brightly colored clothes, with dirty hands and faces, asking you for money.

These beggars come from the city’s Roma community. The children you

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Show of support for anti-homophobia demonstrators

During the show of support Friday, a church congregation was inside the church across the street. The day ended with one minor incident. (Photo: Mari Nikuradze.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – After peaceful demonstrators against homophobia were beaten by counter-demonstrators Thursday, people gathered in front of parliament building on Friday to protest the incident.

“I’ve seen footage of yesterday’s gathering on TV and I’ve

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A quarter of Georgia's population are missing

Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, head of Liberal Academy Georgia. (Photo: Human Rights Center.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – 23 per cent of Georgia’s population is away from the country, 80 per cent of which are illegal labor migrants and sole bread-winners.

These are some of the findings in a new report made by Liberal Academy Tbilisi, called Visa Facilitation and Readmission:

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Abkhazians go to Georgia for medical treatment

Alexander Ankvab, leader of the de facto authorities in breakaway Abkhazia, doesn't deny people to go to Georgia for treatment. "It's about saving lives." (Photo: Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – The de facto president of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia recently said a veteran from Abkhazia had died in a Georgian hospital.

The government here in Tbilisi has not commented of given any details. DF Watch visited a few large hospitals

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Strict rules leave rail passengers in Tbilisi for the holidays

Some are having to hitchhike to get out of Tbilisi for Easter. (Photo: Mari Nikuradze.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Saturday morning, the day before Easter, there is a large crowd at the railway station in Tbilisi. All of them have bags of luggage and are trying to find their tickets for the train or are buying them.

The Easter holiday lasts four days in Georgia

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Georgians struggling to get through European visa maze

Got through the maze: The Polish embassy granted Khatia Ergemlidze a visa, but along the way she had to pay a hundred dollars rebooking fee to the ariline and lost the first two weeks of her eight weeks' exchange program to develop leadership abilities.

TBILISI, DFWatch – Vakhtang Nadibaidze (53) stands in line in front of the Polish embassy, waiting for the answer to his visa application. Many Georgians have been in his place, facing the labyrinth it is to get a visa at the European embassies here.

He remembers how about

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Stricter Turkish visa-rules making life tougher

The border crossing between Turkey and Georgia at Sarpi. (Photo: Ephraim Stillberg.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Nani has been working in Turkey for last ten years at a rich family, taking care of all the household activities. Her husband died years ago and she had to provide her two daughters with food and clothes. She couldn’t find a job here in Georgia and decided to leave for Turkey

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