Friday, August 1, 2025

Ossetian opposition sets up camp in Tskhinvali

TBILISI, DFWatch – Winner of the South Ossetian de facto presidential elections Alla Dzhioyeva has appealed to the region’s supreme court with a request to have yesterday’s decision to annul the election overturned. South Ossetian news agency RES reports that Dzhioyeva’s appeal was delivered to the de facto supreme court chairman Acamaz Bichenov. Her appeal will … Read more

Shots fired in Tskhinvali

TBILISI, DFWatch – Russian news agency Ria Novosti Wednesday reported shooting on the main square in Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia. Supporters of the Alla Dzhioyeva, the appearant winner of the so-called presidential elections, are protesting against the region’s Supreme Court decision to annul the results of the elections. The government’s … Read more

‘Government wants to shut down Maestro’

TBILISI, DFWatch – The crisis continues at independent Georgian TV station Maestro, as suspicion is growing that the interference is politically motivated. Financier Bidzina Ivanishvili for the first time came to Maestro’s studios Tuesday evening for a live conversation on a regular discussion program called Pirdapiri Saubari (Direct Talk). Wednesday morning before daylight, the station’s … Read more

TV station under siege!

TBILISI, DFWatch – Journalists at Maestro were pacing nervously around in the TV station’s yard Wednesday afternoon, still physically prevented by police from entering their studios to reestablish normal broadcasting. Inside the studios, behind locked doors, producer Mamuka Glonti was leading an emergency broadcast with a few other journalists and technicians, who managed to enter … Read more

2007 rerun! Independent TV taken off air

TBILISI, DFWatch – An independent TV station in Tbilisi was taken off air Wednesday morning, the day after businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili was on live from their studios. Police have surrounded their studios and most journalists are not allowed in, but the station’s director and a few journalists are inside,broadcasting short updates. Many regard what is happening … Read more

Young lawyers concerned about press freedom

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) supports the Press Association rally Tuesday and says Tbilisi City Hall is worsening the conditions of the print media’s distribution system. GYLA says that the organization thinks that the government has a positive obligation to support freedom of the media; which first of all is to get … Read more

Republicans also against newsstand scheme

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Republican Party expresses solidarity with distributors and publishers of print media and joins the Press Association in its demands. The party released a statement Tuesday saying that it protests against Tbilisi City Hall’s decision to remove newspaper kiosks. “Tbilisi City Hall’s decision several weeks ago about the location of booths turned … Read more

Walked 250 km for democracy

TBILISI, DFWatch – Three supporters of the Georgian businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili walked for five days and nights to support his right to get back his citizenship. The ordeal started in front of Gelati, a church in Western Georgia vested with religious and historical significance, and ended at the Trinity cathedral in central Tbilisi. Ivanishvili was … Read more