TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili Friday told his acting interior minister and chief prosecutor to do everything to prevent the mafia from crossing the border into Georgia. After it became clear that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s coalition was going to win the election, […]
The founders of Rustavi 2, a TV company are fighting to get back control which they claimed was forcefully deprived from them. Rustavi 2 played an important role in the rose revolution in 2003, which brought President Mikheil Saakashvili to power, but later became completely […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Friday, authorities in Georgia lifted the seizure of thousands of satellite dishes belonging to Maestro TV and Georgian Dream affiliated Global TV, a cable network operator. Both companies on Friday received a letter about the lifting of the seizure. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — About 200 local and foreign businesspeople Friday gathered to meet with the winner of the parliamentary election in Georgia. Bidzina Ivanishvili met them in order to talk about important issues and problems in their field, including the necessity of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s prison ministry informs that a suicide might have taken place at No 18 prison hospital. The body of a prisoner was found in the bathroom of the prison hospital September 5. The cause of death was hanging. The prisoner had been placed in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Four days after the election, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said the counting of votes had been completed and announced the final results. After collating votes from 3 766 district, preliminary results show the Georgian Dream coalition received […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The winner of the aryparliament election, Georgian Dream, will from October 8 send representatives to each state body to start a ‘peaceful transfer of government’ until a new government is formed. This was one of the major decisions made at a meeting between […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — US Secretary of State has had a phone conversation with President Mikheil Saakashvili and Bidzina Ivanishvili, who leads a coalition that won the parliamentary election. Both the president’s and the Georgian Dream’s press offices separately told […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A colonel in Georgia’s armed forces who recently chaired Georgian peace divisions in Afghanistan has been arrested. His arrest was announced 45 days after it happened, 15 days earlier than his punishment was to end. Opposition channel TV9 reported […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A video was publishedThursday showing a person wearing a mask breaking into one of the election precincts in Khashuri, a small town in eastern Georgia. On election day Monday, there were reports about special units breaking into several precincts […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The government of President Mikheil Saakashvili has picked the Parliament Speaker, Tbilisi Mayor, Secretary of the Security Council and a member of parliament to represent it in negotiations with the Georgian Dream coalition. Soon after Election Day, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — While the country is rocked by political tension, rallies and protests, up to twenty students and others today gathered at Tbilisi Concert Hall to mark World Animal Day. They told DFWatch that they view it as a day for the protection of animal rights […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The leader of a decade old party has said he is leaving politics, sticking to a promise to leave if his party did not make it into parliament. The New Rightists Party, which was established in 2001, gained only 0.43 percent of the votes in the parliamentary […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A former body guard for the Georgian Dream coalition, who was reported missing, returned home today. In a ‘leak war’ shortly before the election, Beso Surmava, former security guard for Bidzina Ivanishvili, was one among those who released secret recordings […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Dream and others are protesting outside the election commission offices in nineteen one-past-the-post districts where the National Movement party is winning. According to the latest figures from the Central Election Commission, Georgian Dream […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili’s party lost the election in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. This is his favorite region which he visits frequently. Georgian Dream coalition got 57.6 percent of the votes according to the most recent figures from the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — One of Georgia’s most popular newspapers on Wednesday revealed the identity of guards working in a controversial prison where serious abuse was revealed two weeks ago. The list shows the names, address and date of birth of prison guards and employees working at […]
The election winner in Georgia’s first visit abroad will be to the U.S., probably after the U.S. presidential election. Bidzina Ivanishvili told journalists Wednesday that the U.S. ambassador to Georgia had delivered him a formal invitation to the U.S. He met Ambassador […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The coalition that won the parliament election is putting together a working group to handle relations with the president and the current government. The group will hold consultations in the name of the Georgian Dream coalition. The Georgian Dream […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. Secretary of State responded to Monday’s election in Georgia congratulating Georgians on their peaceful and active participation in the election. A statement published on the State Department website says the election was a historic day for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The counting of votes is almost finished in Georgia and results show that the opposition leads with 55.1 percent, against the ruling National Movement with 40.1 percent of votes. The other parties seem to not overcome the 5 percent barrier for getting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) summed up events on Election Day and reported about violations. The organization had 300 observers at 63 election district from 73. ISFED found that the election process went mostly with […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the coalition that won the Georgian election Monday says it would be best for President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign and appoint early presidential election. Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the victorious Georgian Dream coalition, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group carrying out parallel vote counting has estimated that Georgian Dream won by 54.6 to 40.7 percent over National Movement. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) published their results of parallel vote tabulation (PVT). […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – OSCE says Georgia made an important step in consolidating the conduct of democratic elections, but there are still some key issues left needing to address. The organization has the largest contingent of election observers here, under its Office for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The winner in the Georgian parliamentary election says it would be wise of Mikheil Saakashvili to step down and announce early presidential election. The next presidential election is planned for late 2013. Bidzina Ivanishvili said this at a press […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The election result from several precincts in three districts of Georgia may be annulled, says the head of Central Election Commission (CEC). Due to tension at several precincts in Khashuri that were stormed by special police units yesterday, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The National Movement party moves into opposition, President Mikheil Saakashvili has told the Georgian people in a TV address. The president said preliminary vote counting clearly shows that the Georgian Dream coalition came in first in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Official results from the Central Election Commission at 06:20 am local time showed that the opposition Georgian Dream was leading with 54.61 percent ahead of the ruling National Movement party with 40.44 percent. Counting is still ongoing. These results […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Special police forces stormed several election precincts in Georgia, seized the ballot box and rewrote the protocol, in order to prevent an opposition victory. Special units of the police have entered several election precincts in Khashuri, a small […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association discovered many violations during the election October 1. At a press conference 21:00 GYLA detailed their findings. The organization has information that near two election precincts special forces are mobilized. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – According to Maestro TV’s exit poll, the opposition Georgian Dream coalition is set to win also in districts with the majoritarian (first-past-the-post) system in the capital: Mtatsimnda, Tbilisi – National movement candidate has 23 percent; Georgian […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another series of violations are regularly reported through local non-government organizations, media outlets and social networks from all over the country in Monday’s parliamentary elections. The movement Multinational Georgia reports about twenty […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili concedes that his National Movement party has been defeated in the parliamentary election in districts with the proportional system, but won in districts with majoritarian candidates. Saakashvili thanked people […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – All the exit polls published after voting ended show that the opposition has won the election in Georgia. Also the pro-government TV channels show Georgian Dream winning. Rustavi 2’s exit poll show the following: Georgian Dream 51 percent, National […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of Georgia’s opposition coalition has not voted in Monday’s parliamentary election. Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of Georgian Dream, says he refuses to use his new constitutional right to vote, thereby adhering to a statement he made […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Local non-governmental organizations are reporting about different kinds of violations in Monday’s election. Transparency International Georgia (TI) reports that one of the main problems is that there are not enough ballot-papers and envelopes in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia the most important election in recent history is underway. According to the Central Election Commission, there was a 25.5 voter turnout by 12:00. There have already been reports of violations. Many see the parliamentary election as a test […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The kidnapping and killing of a 10 months old girl from an opposition activists’ family has pushed a strained electoral atmosphere towards the boiling point. A ten-month old infant was today found dead in a pitcher full of water after declared […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A day before the parliamentary election, the embattled prison ministry in Georgia made a push to explain it is doing something to improve health care for inmates. Since the abuse scandal broke, 107 prisoners have been transferred to prison hospital, 78 to civilian hospitals, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An unprecedented 61 000 local observers will follow tomorrow’s parliamentary election, head of the Central Election Commission (CEC) says. There are more than 33 000 representatives of election subjects and representatives of political parties in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the largest opposition coalition says there will be set a new precedent in Georgia’s recent history, when the government is changed through election. Bidzina Ivanishvili appeared confident in front media after meeting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian patriarch on Sunday stated that he expects Monday’s election to be without fraud and that people will vote for who they want. Numerous polls have shown Patriarch Illia II to be the most trusted person in Georgia, scoring higher than […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — After a series of videos were released September 19, documenting torture of prisoners, more than 40 activists were put in administrative detention, an old Soviet-style form of punishment. The finding is part of in a new study by three non-governmental […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Russian soldiers have arrested a Georgian police employee inside the occupied territory. Georgia considers this an attempt by Russia to create tension in the current situation. Russian media first reported that Georgian law enforcers Saturday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian Dream coalition which is challenging President Saakashvili’s power in Monday’s parliamentary election, mobilized over a hundred thousand supporters in the center of Tbilisi Saturday. The coalition also held a rally in the country’s […]
Elections are won by media which feed people’s minds and create attitudes. For the first time since November 2003 Georgia has a strong opposition along with a strong ruling team, which makes the parliamentary elections of October 1 really competitive. But government- […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – 111 different organizations have been approved as election observers for the parliamentary election in Georgia on Monday October 1. 61 of them are from abroad, while 50 are local non-governmental organizations. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The party currently in power in Georgia Friday organized a rally counting thousands at the national football stadium in Tbilisi. Majoritarian candidates and other members of the United National Movement party, as well as government officials, held […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is concerned about the increase in violent incidents and arrests possibly on political grounds. After a prison abuse scandal shook Georgia last week, which led to society paying a lot of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. National Democratic Institute will observe Georgia’s parliamentary election on October 1. According to NDI’s Georgia office, the observer mission contains seven persons, out of which are current and former members of the US Congress, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – According to Georgia’s public defender, yet another hunger strike has been launched, this time at Prison No 19, for prisoners suffering of tuberculosis. About 30 prisoners in the prison went on hunger strike on September 25. Their demand is to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A former bodyguard for the Georgian opposition leader has been reported missing by his relatives, after a video was uploaded to Youtube yesterday, in which he says that Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili personally instructed him to make […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A court in Georgia has ruled that the Central Election Commission’s decision to establish tight regulations for media on Election Day are legal. The rules in practice make it impossible to take photos and videos at election precincts. Under the current […]
As a representative of Switzerland I am looking forward to be allowed to observe democratic parliamentary elections in Georgia. Both countries, Georgia and Switzerland, are small, very dynamic, and extremely lovely countries. Both together should always and under any […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Thirteen prisoners from one of Georgia’s prisons went on hunger strike for five days until the election as way of showing their protest against torture and mistreatment of prisoners. Representatives of the public defender September 26 visited […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia a ‘leak war’ has broken out, fought by the uploading of compromising videos to Youtube and other sites, just days ahead of a decisive election. The government and the opposition are bombarding each other with alleged secret video and audio […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Interpol has declared Vladimer Bedukadze a wanted person. He is the former prison guard who recently released videos of prison torture filmed by himself at Gldani prison in Tbilisi in 2011. These videos spurred a massive public reaction which led to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) says the use of administrative detention recently has a political background. GYLA thinks 23 cases of administrative detention between 21. and 24. August are suspicios. The persons who have been […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council calls on law enforcement bodies to use lighter forms of punishment. Giga Bokeria, who is also chair of the inter-agency commission established by the government to monitor the election process, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office Wednesday reported that it had arrested the twelfth person so far for involvement in prison torture after a series of videos one week ago documented physical and sexual abuse by staff against inmates. Mamuka […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – «Your Democracy Hurts” — this is one of the messages students have been sending to the government through their demonstrations all over the capital for the last week. The demonstrations against torture in the prisons continue. About eleven […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Youth continue to protest against prison abuse in Tbilisi. Thursday there was no large scale protest but different groups of students gathered at different places to express their protest to various government bodies. The seven people who were on […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – One of the leaders of the opposition Christian Democrats party today withdrew her candidacy as majoritarian candidate for parliament. Inga Grigolia, a well-known former journalist, is now a member of the Christian Democrats, which is considered by […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has established many prohibitions on the use of photographic equipment at election precincts, which in fact restricts and makes it impossible to take photos on Election Day. Use of photos may document […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The wave of rallies and demonstrations against torture in the prison system shows no signs of abating in Georgia, as on Monday thousands of youth took to the streets to demonstrate. The organizers were several youth organizations, and people […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili dedicated a long speech to recent events in the prison system in a speech while meeting with locals in the port city Batumi. He said it was a shock for him, meaning the footage aired on TV, which shows beating […]
Nina Khatiskatsi explains that her husband’s recent imprisonment, for arguing with a member of the District Election Commission, is symptomatic of the government’s increased use of police powers to intimidate Georgia’s opposition and the electorate. On the 20th of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Seven students have been on hunger strike for two days, protesting against the justice minister. They demand the release of activists Davit Patsasia, Dachi Tsaguria and Beka Alodashvili, who were arrested while participating in the recent protests […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Many people have been detained in Georgia during the last few days. The majority of the arrested are members and activists of the Georgian Dream. About 20 members and supporters of the opposition coalition have been detained the last three days, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Public Council of Georgia’s Public Broadcaster demands from GPB to cover news about prisoner abuse properly, otherwise they will leave their posts. Members of the council expressed concern for what has been exposed about torture of prisoners […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Groups in Georgia demands that the former prison minister, former interior minister, current justice minister and current chief prosecutor are banned from civilized countries because of their cruel and inhuman treatment of citizens. The appeal […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ombudsman says Dachi Tsaguria and Beka Aladoshvili, who were arrested on Saturday, were verbally and physically abused during pre-trial detention. Dachi Tsaguria and his friend Beka Alodashvili were arrested on Saturday. Tsaguria […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – “I bet daddy can see me here,” a boy of about 12 told her grandmother, both standing on a small hill in front of Prison No 8. It was evening and beginning to get dark. His grandmother was counting cell windows, as she knew the cell number where […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the government’s main competitor in the election in just over a week says that he has plans to solve the conflicts of Georgia’s breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili says first, rail and road […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Public Defender’s Office informs that several prisoners at facility No 15 in Mtskheta near Tbilisi have gone on hunger strike to show solidarity with victims of torture. According to the ombudsman’s rapporteurs, prisoners went on hunger […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Prison employees who committed torture and humiliating abuse in a Tbilisi prison are still going to work as normal, inmates say. Prisoners at Gldani prison told this to journalists who were let in. They named the names of specific persons who have […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Galina Nemsitsveridze waited outside the entrance hall of Gldani prison on Friday, like hundreds of other people trying to see their sons and husbands. Galina’s son was suspected of sexually abusing his future wife together with two persons and put […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Saturday, a crowd of demonstrators tried to move in on a public service building in Tbilisi as President Mikheil Saakashvili was inside attending the opening ceremony. But police blocked the road and prevented people outraged over recent revelations […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The first new story of prisoner abuse has surfaced after President Saakashvili began a major shakeup of Georgia’s prison system. The attempt at “resetting” the prison reform comes after a wave of criticism following several videos showing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Student groups gathered outside of Gldani prison Friday, in a more scaled down protest against prisoner abuse than earlier in the week. Organizers decided not to hold a mass rally on Friday to avoid provocation. They […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s new prison minister today visited Gldani prison accompanied by journalists. He said prisoners told him that the situation has changed to the positive the last two days. Nino Zuriashvili, investigative journalist, said they observed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Anger is not abating in Georgia, after the second minister leaves because of revelations of prisoner abuse. The largest crowd of demonstrators seen so far in this crisis swept through the central thoroughfare of Tbilisi Thursday evening, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The sixth video clip showing prisoner abuse was aired Thursday by TV9. It seems to shows mentally ill persons who are inmates in Gldani prison and are being humiliated and forced to dance and sing. Gldani prison is where the majority of torture […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – After releasing the scandalous footage of prisoner abuse, Georgia’s powerful interior minister, who is suspected to be behind these incidents, has been forced to leave his post. For three days people all over Georgia have been demanding that Bacho […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Five members of the Georgian president’s favorite dance troupe, the National Ballet, say they support his main opponent. Georgian National Ballet – founded at the end of the Second World War — is the country’s most famous dance ensemble and its […]
The European Union Wednesday issued a statement regarding the ongoing scandal surrounding prisoner abuse in Georgia: “The EU Delegation is shocked by the appalling footage of abuses committed against inmates in Gldani prison. It is of vital importance that these […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili Thursday appointed the public defender as prison minister. Former prison minister Khatuna Kalmakhelidze resigned yesterday amidst a scandal spurred by the release of five videos showing prisoners being beaten […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Members of the ruling National Movement party who have left the party as sign of a protest against prisoner abuse revealed by the release of several videos say the government is harasses them and their family member and trying to stop them from […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Davit Akobia, former employee at Gldani prison — also known as Prison No 8 — was this morning arrested on the border with Armenia. He has been mentioned as one of the persons behind video footage showing torture of prisoner. The Prosecutor’s Office […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Wednesday morning Georgia’s prison minister resigned after scandalous footage of prisoners torture was published in the media and through the internet. Tens and hundreds of thousand have protested all over Georgia, demanding the resignation of the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In a new video clip of prisoner torture in Georgia, an underage prisoner is shown being sodomized by prison guards. The clip was aired today on the opposition channel TV9. It shows an underage prisoner (meaning under 18 years) being physically and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – For the last 24 hours, the whole of Georgia has been concerned about five videos released by different sources that show physical and sexual abuse of prisoners. People spontaneously took to the streets to show their disgust, and protests are still […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president admits that Georgia’s prison system is a complete failure and needs to be repaired. Mikheil Saakashvili Wednesday instructed his prime minister to take responsibility for reforming the system and ensure the safety of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A series of protest rallies have erupted throughout the capital and large cities in Georgia, after shocking videos of prisoner abuse released by the interior ministry and aired on two opposition TV channels last night. Some of the footage appeared […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Four different videos showing physical and sexual abuse of prisoners in Georgian prisons has triggered a widespread public outrage and a demand for the prison minister to step down. The videos were released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Internal […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A study concludes that Georgia’s National Communications Commission is failing to cooperate effectively with society. The study was done by the must carry monitoring group, which estimates that out of the 3 621 256 voters in Georgia, over 200 000 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Negotiations a TV company and the government about installing satellite receivers have failed. The director of Maestro TV claims the government’s offer to negotiate about the distribution of the equipment was just a ruse, and that it never planned […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The energy sector receives the largest share of direct foreign investments this year. Investments increased 7 percent in the second quarter of 2012 compared to same period in 2011, and totaled USD 219 million, according to preliminary figures […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A Georgian actress who played in the anti-Islam movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’ has released an open letter explaining that she didn’t have any idea about the full plot of the film and only read part of the script. Anna Gurji (21), whose real […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian emigrants Monday returned to their homeland to protest the restriction of their right to vote. A number of Georgian emigrants today arrived in Batumi, a port city on the Black Sea coast, and held a protest rally in front of a public […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Salome (22) is a reporter for a Tbilisi-based online newspaper. Due to her job, she needs to visit different places in the capital at least five times a day. Her managers do not cover transportation fees for her, as the office is run on a tight budget […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The foreign ministers of Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic said during a visit to Georgia that the parliamentary election in two weeks are important. The ministers met with Georgia’s foreign minister, and the main topic […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group of university students refuses to attend lectures when the new academic year begins 17 September. They claim that the quality of education is not on the level they expect, based on how much they pay. The student’s movement Laboratoria 1918 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The EU ambassador to Georgia on Saturday evaluated the election period in the country and once again remarked that it is important that participants recognize the election results if international organizations do so. Philip Dimitrov on Saturday […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia expert Lincoln Mitchell sees several possible outcomes of the election, and explained to us his assessment of the situation. DFWatch: Your prognosis, your predictions about these elections, its outcomes are interesting.Lincoln Mitchell: Well, we don’t know for sure […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is to conduct a consequence management field exercise together with Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) in September, 2012. Consequence management field exercise ‘Georgia 2012’ will be conducted in an area near […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Students at the state university in Tbilisi have launched a protest to demand that a lecturer who was fired for her political views gets back her position. Professor of philosophy and gender researcher Lela Gafrindashvili was teaching various […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia condemns the attacks on the embassies of Germany and UK. Georgia’s Foerign Affairs Ministry on Saturday released a statement which says that the country is concerned about the incidents which took place in the capital of Sudan. “There is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM) will continue its activity for one more year until September 14, 2013. The European Council on Friday extended EUMM for one more year and €20.9 million was allocated in next year’s budget. Catherine Ashton, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Central Election Commission has rejected applications from two Russian organizations to register as observers for the parliamentary election on October 1. September 9, the CEC decided to deny the State Duma of the Russian Federation and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The largest opposition bloc in Georgia refuses to sign a code of conduct signed by other political parties, because signing it would force it to recognize the election results if the international community does so. Friday Georgian media reported that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – According to a new survey, the confiscation of a Georgian TV company’s property was illegal. Transparency International Georgia (TIG) is behind the new study, called Analysis of the ‘Pre-Election Process’. The report is based on a survey […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The United States is to send military advisors to Georgia to help the country strengthen its air defense systems. Obama is sending a group of military engineers to Georgia in September for this purpose. The bolstering of Georgia’s air defenses […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Central Election Commission says 54 963 Georgians abroad have registered to vote at their country’s embassy. The list doesn’t contain citizens who live in Russia or in countries where there are less than 20 Georgians living. 42 613 out of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NGOs gathered at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi to show their sympathy with the victims of the attack on American diplomats in Libya. Members of Union of Human Rights Defenders brought flowers to the Embassy of USA and drew a U.S. flag by placing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO ambassadors are visiting Georgia, holding meetings with officials. The ambassadors have met with Public Defender Giorgi Tughushi, who said after the meeting that the guests were interested in the problems in Georgian media, including satellite […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – There is growing international support for extending the must-carry and must-offer system. The system makes cable network obligated to transmit all TV stations and all TV channels to let their signal be carried is being discussed these days by a […]
TBILISI DFWatch – The Foreign Affairs Minister of Estonia says every political party in Georgia should recognize the results of the upcoming election as an expression of the will of the people. Urmas Paet, Estonia’s minister is visiting Georgia to hold meetings with […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas O. Melia, who on Wednesday completed his visit to Georgia, evaluated the situation in the country before the elections. A delegation chaired by him for two days held meetings with representatives of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team on Tuesday won against Netherlands. This was Georgia’s final qualifier for EuroBasket 2013. The match ended 97-89. The team won all four quarters of the game: 25–21, 29–22, 18–16, 25–30. Georgia didn’t have to win […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia on Tuesday lost a football match against Spain 0-1. The Jvarosnebi team managed to keep the score at 0-0 until the very last minutes of the match. Roberto Soldado of Spain brought his team one point in teh 86. minute. The Georgian team […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Democracy groups in Georgia repeat their demand that the must-carry and must-offer principles must be extended beyond Election Day. Three campaigns consisting of NGOs and media presented a joint statement Wednesday. The three campaigns are: […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas O. Melia and the rest of a government delegation from the United States are in Georgia holding meetings. The main topic is the parliamentary election on October 1. The delegation arrived on Sunday. It is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Representatives of the Council of Europe’s observer mission will arrive in Georgia next week in order to get familiar with the situation before the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 1. Nino Kalandadze, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, said […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The government in Georgia has agreed to distribute satellite dishes it confiscated from Maestro TV. The equipment will be distributed to the population by the Georgian Post. Maestro has not yet decided whether to accept the offer, but mediators […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The foreign affair ministers of five countries will visit Georgia September 17. Nino Kalandadze, Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, said on Monday that the foreign ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania will […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Tbilisi City Court has fined the Christian Democrats Movement with USD 3 000 for violating law about political unions of citizens. The Christian Democrats Movement, who is currently represented in parliament, June 31 held a meeting with the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s richest says he has sold his last assets in Russia. A US fund purchases Stolenskaya Niva for USD 180 million. Russian media informs that Unikor Company, which manages Bidzina Ivanishvili’s assets, has finished the sale of Russian assets. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The two largest political blocs in Georgia in the weekend showed off their support in the regions. United National Movement, the ruling party, Saturday held eleven rallies in ten towns as well as in Tbilisi. The first gathering started at 11:00 in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Central Election Commission (CEC) has given Georgians abroad two more days to register as a voter. The deadline for registering is September 11. But Eka Azarashvili, speaker for CEC said, said at a press conference Monday that Georgians […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili has appointed a new business ombudsman. Maya Meredova has worked at ProCredit Bank Georgia since 2006. She was General Director of Bank of Georgia 2010-2012. Meredova was a consultant at the European Bank of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Tbilisi on Friday, representatives of 103 countries adopted an agreement on environmental protection education. The treaty outlines what both countries and international organizations can do. It is a continuation of a treaty also signed in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In most cities in Georgia, almost all billboards, minibuses and buses are covered by commercials for the National Movement party. Other parties lack the money for such commercials, besides, the ruling party has already booked all available ad […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team Jvarosnebi are through to EuroBasket 2013 after winning 73-70 against Latvia. The match was played on Saturday evening in Latvia. After the victory, Georgia might end up winning its group in the qualifying rounds, but is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A democracy campaign in Georgia asks the government to extend the validity of the must-carry and must-offer principles and lift the seizure of satellite dishes belonging to Maestro TV. This Affects You Too, an umbrella organization of Tbilisi-based […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The interior ministry in Georgia Saturday arrested one of the so-called saboteurs near the Dagestan section of the border with Russia. According to a short statement published on Saturday, Akhmet Chatayev, Russian citizen from the North Caucasus was […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The United States is sending a government delegation to Georgia to assess the period before the election on October 1. The delegation will visit Georgia September 10-12 and is chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Thomas O. Melia, from […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – 63 percent of Georgians approve of the appointment of the former interior minister as prime minister; 47 percent think the upcoming election will be more or less well-conducted, while 62 percent will not support the opposition if it decides to begin […]
What are the main differences which occurred for the last survey compared to the last two surveys conducted by NDI?Most notable change since our last poll is that people’s attitudes about Georgian democracy improved. So what we have seen over time is that people’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) says the websites of local governments are being used to help the party in power, United National Movement (UNM). According to GYLA, the fact that these web sites publish information about UNM’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The European Union will offer Georgian citizens visa free travel to the EU in 2013, according to Georgia’s representative to the EU. Salome Samadashvili, who represents Georgia in the EU, said Wednesday that 2013 will be a very important year for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new survey gives the ruling National Movement party a comfortable lead ahead of the parliamentary election on October 1. The survey shows in August, 37 percent of Georgians would vote for the National Movement, while only 12 percent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO’s Secretary General on Friday left Georgia for Azerbaijan, continuing his tour of the Caucasus. In a posting on Facebook Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that his traveling in the South Caucasus region is important for Euro-Atlantic security and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group of U.S. Senators headed by John McCain have arrived in Georgia. Among the delegation are also Joseph Liberman and Lindsey Graham. During a press conference at the U.S. embassy McCain said the delegation wants to see a free and fair election […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The opposition Georgian Dream party accuses government of attempting to legally falsify the parliamentary election. One of the coalition’s lawyers Zakaria Kutsnashvili said Thursday that the amended election code regulates the issue of voters […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Democracy groups demand that the date of the parliamentary is brought forward for Georgians living abroad. The election is scheduled for October 1, but the groups it brought forward to September 29 or 30. The groups say in an application to the Central Election […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The new U.S. ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland Wednesday officially started his work. He arrived at Tbilisi airport with his wife, where they were greeted by Chargé d’Affaires Bridget Brink and representatives of the embassy. Norland said he […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new survey shows that there has been a worrying trend in the election campaign in Georgia with a growing number of violations. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) presented their fifth monitoring report. ISFED studied […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team is meeting Bosnia-Herzegovina again team tomorrow. Georgia comes to its seventh qualifier for EuroBasket 2013 after winning against Romania on Sunday with the final score 91:74. Georgia will host Bosnia-Herzegovina at […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Defense Minister and Chief of Staff met with ISAF Commander of Regional Command Southwest Major General and Commander of Task Force RC (SW) Major General to receive information about the mission. According to Georgia’s Defense Ministry […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another so-called saboteur was buried today in a Georgian village, locals say. Seven corpses have been identified out of eleven liquidated saboteurs, according to the interior ministry. Two of them were Georgian citizens and were buried earlier in the village Duisi […]
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, and Štefan Füle, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, made today the following statement: “We wish […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The seizing of the bank accounts of an opposition figure and his partner, a former AC Milan player, has strengthened the perception of a selective and disproportionate application of the law, according to a new report by National Democratic Institute. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO’s Secretary General will come to Georgia on September 6 and hold official meetings for one day. Manana Manjgaladze, Spokesperson for president told DF Watch that Anders Fogh Rasmussen arrives in Georgia as part of a tour of the Caucasus. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The interior ministry says there were two Georgian citizens among the eleven who were killed during a police operation on the Russian-Georgian border. A few days ago, the ministry claimed that there weren’t any Georgians among the dead ‘boeviks’. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili announced that in September there will be opened a City Hall and a port in the still non-existent city Lazika. Saakashvili was meeting with youth at the patriot camp in Anaklia, a town on the Black Sea coast. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The largest opposition coalition in Georgia may be fined again, after the State Audit Office has said certain individuals implemented financial operations in the name of Georgian Dream, which is prohibited by law. A statement by the State Audit […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – People dressed in National Movement t-shirts are handing out gifts to people Telavi, a town in eastern Georgia. They give them 10 kg of flour, 5 kg of pasta, a bottle of oil and 2 pieces of washing powder. According to the Informational Center of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In the top twenty on the National Movement’s party list there are majoritarian candidates. The majority on the list are current members of parliament (MPs) and members of government. On the ruling party list there also are so-called independent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s environment minister has resigned in order to stand for election for the National Movement party. George Khachidze, who was appointed to the post in 2008, today announced on his Facebook page that he has resigned in order to become a member […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Local police are patrolling a valley close to the Russian border, while the special police operation continues against a group of what the interior ministry calls saboteurs. The interior ministry today published further details […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The government refuses to accept conditions which the largest opposition coalition says are necessary in order for the October 1 parliamentary election to be considered fair. Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream coalition on Thursday […]
For those of us that retain their curiosity, willingness to fail and to learn, age is measured not in years but in lost friends. I lost a good friend – Greg Guroff. He died of an incurable disease but he fought strong for his life as he did in energetic and rich life – as a diplomat, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The opposition in Georgia considers to make the former AC Milan player Kakhi Kaladze speaker of parliament if they win the election on October 1. Georgian Dream has nominated the footballer on first place on its party list, which might mean that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia continues its operation on the border with Russia, while a Chechen Islamic Internet news agency claims what really happened was that insurgents stumbled upon a group of Georgians and let them go, after which their location was revealed. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the Georgian Dream coalition says he can’t wait until he leaves politics. Georgia’s richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili, on Friday was invited on Maestro TV in the morning, where he stated that he has never been interested in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Eleven dead bodies have been recovered from the rebel group, which according to the Georgian interior ministry counted about 20 people in total. The ministry says some of the militants were from North Ossetia, a republic which is part of the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the largest opposition bloc in Georgia, promises that he will defend people’s vote solely by peaceful means and not call for a confrontation. But he also says that there are several measures that need to be taken […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili explains the deadly incident on the Russian border this week as an attempt at ‘testing the country’s readiness to fight’ and ‘a provocation’. President Saakashvili visited the town Kvareli, which is […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian National Platform, a coalition of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has released a statement regarding the period leading up to the parliamentary election. The National Platform was set up in October 2010 with a goal to support […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Georgia Interior Ministry released a footage of operation of Georgian special forces against Islamist militants from Russia’s volatile Dagestan republic of North Caucasus, when two Georgian officers and one army doctor died, along with 11 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The ruling party says the current parliamentary speaker and the prime minister will represent it in election debates. Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili is the National Movement’s candidate for prime minister in the election. The chair of the public […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A group working on election fairness demands that a case of bribery in one of the regions of Georgia is investigated. International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) calls on law enforcement bodies to investigate a case of bribery in […]
Tbilisi, DFWatch – Georgia says a serious border incident which led to fourteen deaths can not be a reason for Russia to intervene. Despite witness accounts from the Georgian side, Russia’s secret police, the FSB, which also controls the borders, does not confirm that armed groups […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Two members of Georgian Interior Affairs Ministry special unit and one military doctor has died, while eleven saboteurs were killed and 6 are currently surrounded, MIA reported recently. According to Georgian officials all hostages released in the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Tuesday night, security forces in Georgia were deployed near the border with Russia after an armed group was spotted in a the area. The Interior Ministry has blocked access to a valley in Kakheti while while the operation is ongoing and all measures […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The audit body in Georgia, which for several months has been busy fining the largest opposition bloc, now wants to fine five persons for donating to the ruling party. In contrast to the opposition related cases, the identity of the people in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s State Audit Service wants to fine a non-governmental organization (NGO) which supports the government by 5 000 lari, or about USD 3 000. The State Audit Service, which has authority to track the financial relations of political parties and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s basketball team is in a shared first place in Group D of the qualification for EuroBasket 2013 next to Bosnia-Herzegovina after losing a match against the Netherlands. After three victories in a row, it was the first defeat of Georgia’s Jvarosnebi […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The head of a village near Tbilisi has been shot to death. A friend of the victim has admitted to have carried out the crime. The body was found in a forest Monday morning. The suspect says he was drunk and had a quarrel with the victim. After […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Interactive maps of past election results and voter lists are now available online. The interactive maps are offered by a recently established web portal which aims to collect information about alleged violations and incident throughout the election […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The leader of the largest opposition bloc in Georgia doesn’t exclude that if he wins the parliamentary election he will hold a referendum regarding government structure. Currently, the president holds almost all power. From 2013 these powers will […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Tbilisi City Court today held a pre-trial hearing on in the case of two persons accused of being responsible for a chlorine leak in Tbilisi July 3, which resulted in the death of one person and tens of injured. A water company claims that its supplier of chorine, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – About one acre of forest burned as a result of a fire in Borjomi, a resort town in eastern Georgia. The fire started yesterday afternoon and wasn’t put out until Monday morning. What caused the fire is not yet known, but the reason might have been […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A second Bollywood film is being filmed in Georgia on the initiative of Georgia’s National Investment Agency. The film tells a story set in Georgia in the Middle Ages. Indian actors and actresses play the roles of a Georgian king and other characters. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The international community has begun to assess the election period in Georgia. Their comments focuse on the government’s fining of Georgian Dream coalition members and seizing their bank accounts. As they see it, such actions restrict […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Eleven party lists and coalitions have agreed to election campaign financing. Central Election Commission informs that Freedom to Way of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian Dasi, Free Georgia, New Rights Party, Christian Democrats, People’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia, archeologists have discovered burial chamber from the third or fourth century BC. The discovery was made during sewage work. The qvevri burial place lies in Kaspi, a small town 48 km away from the capital Tbilisi. The online newspaper […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s national basketball team won against Latvia on August 24, strengthening its position in the qualification for the European championship next year. The match ended 79:76, which puts Georgia at the top of Group D. The qualification match […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An American pro-democracy group says it’s questionable whether there is rule of law in Georgia. The non-government organization (NGO) Committee for Open Democracy said at a press conference on Friday that the organization will have 20 observers […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister has become State Minister for Euro-integration. Thornike Gordadze replaced Giorgi Baramidze, former minister for Euro-integration, who left the position in order to participate in the upcoming parliamentary […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – OSCE’s High Commissioner on National Minorities asks the de facto leadership of Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia to explain what a statement about demolishing Georgian villages means. Leonid Tibilov, de facto president of South Ossetia, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Former AC Milan player who left football to go into politics was planning to hold a friendship match with Milan in Georgia as a symbol of him leaving, but Georgia refused to make a stadium available for the match. Kakhi Kaladze, who now is a partner […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A spokesperson for President Mikheil Saakahsvili says the president is thankful to a delegation from OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly which recently criticized conditions here before the election. The experts visited Georgia in order to the study the […]
What is the internal political situation established in the country since the Rose Revolution? How much competition is there between political parties, and what are the threats and challenges in the pre-election environment for the parliamentary elections scheduled for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Israel has recognized Georgia’s so-called neutral travel documents, according to the ministry on reintegration issues. Neutral travel document and neutral ID are a system for issuing passports and identity documents to the population of Abkhazia and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The government in Georgia claims the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly is spreading incorrect information provided by lobbyists of a certain party. A delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on Thursday released a statement […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A delegation from the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) which is in Georgia to observe the election says Georgia’s law enforcement bodies lack objectivity. The observers mainly criticize the State Audit Office, saying they act on the basis […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) are now in place in Tbilisi and have started monitoring events leading in preparation for the parliamentary election. ODIHR will publish its final report two months […]
