TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has decided to open a national park for commercial activity. The area lies in Georgia’s western part near the Black Sea. Kolkheti National Park had status as a protected area, but part of the park will be exempted from its protected status […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The police detained eight activists in front of parliament today. The eight were protesting against the arrest of their friends on May 26, near Gelati Monastery, near Kutaisi in western Georgia. The protesters were from three organizations: […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, will arrive in Georgia on June 11. NATO’s information center in Tbilisi told DF Watch on Tuesday that Appathurai is coming to Georgia to plan for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s whole educations sector has been thrown into crisis, as right before the national tests over a third of the staff at the National Examinations Center have left their jobs in protest against the dismissal of their boss, which they believe […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s education minister on Monday fired the head the of National Examinations Center, which is know as a successfully reformed state body. The minister said the reason was differences over how to implement reforms. But there are suspecions […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A businessman in Georgia who is in prison and said he was framed by the Saakashvili regime has been pardoned by Saakashvili himself. The founder of Georgia’s largest electronics chain was serving an eigth year prison sentence in connection with […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An employee of the Ministry of Education has been fired and says it might have been because of her son’s political activism. Maya Miminoshvili, who was head of the National Examinations Center says that her son yesterday participated in a rally […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The election of a nationalist as president in Serbia has caused Tbilisi to respond with an appeal for cooperation and to shared cultural bonds. The Serbian parliament may consider formal recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, after the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The opposition coalition Georgian Dream will start naming their candidates for majoritarian members of parliament from June 1. Leader Bidzina Ivanishvili said Monday that most of the candidates have already been selected, but there are several […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – On May 26, Georgia’s independence day, President Mikheil Saakashvili argued that it is time for a stronger nationalism in order to undermine Russia’s influence. The call for a strengthening of nationalism came during a speech in Kutaisi at the […]
Global TV is a cable operator that provides services to its subscribers in Tbilisi and some other regions of Georgia. The company also owns a satellite broadcasting license which allows it to broadcast its signal by way of satellite. Before 2012, Global TV had a […]
The opposition movement Georgian Dream mobilized tens of thousands of supporters in Tbilisi Sunday. Crowds marched from three different locations in order to converge on Freedom Square. There, a stage had been assembled, from which the movement’s leader, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – For the first time in Georgia’s history, the main celebration on Independence Day took place not in Tbilisi, the formal capital, but in Kutaisi, where a new parliament building was opened with a symbolic first session of lawmakers and a military […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia celebrates Independence Day today on May 26. The day is a celebration of restoration of independence from the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. May 26 1918, the first Georgia republic was established. The country became independent […]
TBILISI, DFWatch –The U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will visit Georgia June 5. Clinton starts her South Caucasus tour on June 4 in Armenia. After visiting Georgia, she will leave for Azerbaijan June 6, according to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi. During the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Groups organized rally in front of Justice Ministry on Friday to protest against a number of incidents of violation of journalist rights, and verbal and physical abuse. They demand to launch an objective investigation of each incident. For the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – City authorities in Tbilisi have decided to not allow the opposition Georgian Dream movement to erect a stage on the freedom square to be used during a mass rally. The opposition movement led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili has been running […]
Lasha Tugushi (left) interviews John R. Bass (right), Ambassador of the United States to Georgia. (Embassy photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch – DF Watch sat down with U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, John Bass, for a conversation about the situation in the country. For the latest two months about twenty cases were observed, when government representatives interrupted media activity and in some […]
The recently delivered speech by Michael Saakasvilli in Princeton University was a wholesome educational experience for every graduate in communication studies, writes Tedo Japaridze, former Foreign Minister of Georgia and an advisor to Bidzina Ivanishvili. Those who […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia fell one place in the Global Enabling Trade Report 2012. The list is published by the World Economic Forum (weforum.org). It contains 132 countries and ranks them according to how well they perform in market access, border administration […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Four Georgians have been detained after having crossed into the breakaway region South Ossetia. The four were detained on May 21 and 22 after going on a trip to pick staphylea, a plant which is used for common sour dish in Georgia. Shota Utiashvili, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In Georgia, rising fuel prices has spurred a new movement that is questioning the cozy connection between the Saakashvili regime and the fuel companies. As people are feeling the impact of high gas prices, the new movement says the reason is price […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The first interim report of one of several extraordinary election monitoring teams says that this spring has been marked by numerous cases of political intimidation. The report covers the period between April 1 and May 4 and is written by […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia regrets that NATO was unable to make findings regarding the events of August 2008. The Russian Foreign Ministry says Russia accepts with regret NATO’s decision regarding Georgia. “One of these complex issues is the situation in the South […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia once again has postponed placing shares of the state-owned Georgian Railway on London Stock Exchange. The debut should have been on May 24, but the government has again decided to postpone it. Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri said that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Amnesty International criticizes Georgia for not having investigated police brutality. The Saakashvili regime has renewed the country’s law enforcement personnel since seizing power in 2003, and is touting the reform as a model for other countries. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An opposition leader in South Ossetia who refused to acknowledge the last election has been appointed Vice Prime Minister in the breakaway republic. Alla Dzhioyeva boycotted the elections in March and April, but that didn’t stop the winner, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new initiative by the moderate opposition Christian Democrats to ban same-sex marriage and write Christianity into the constitution is being discussed in the Georgian blogosphere. The initiative has been criticized by the government, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another Olympic champion has been added to the list of Georgian sportsmen taking part in the political life of Georgia, as an Olympic judo champion joined Bidzina Ivanishvili’s opposition Georgian Dream movement. After a brief break, the issue of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – One of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s top officials says he was taken by surprise by an open letter from opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili yesterday, in which he said that he will not make use of a new tailor-made constitutional change […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Journalists in Georgia demand to meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili and ask him about a series of cases of harassment and violation of their rights. The appeal is backed by 24 media units. On May 25, journalists are planning to hold a protest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The parliamentary faction Christian Democrats Movement is demanding a ban on ‘immoral persons’ holding public office and wants a constitutional guarantees on prohibition of same sex marriage. The government, non-governmental organizations and the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian parliament today passed constitutional changes meant to let opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili participate in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest, decided to go into politics […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A small TV station in Georgia has been taken over, in the latest of a series of disputes within media in the country. A few days ago, Davit Zilpimian reported that the property of Pirveli Stereo and Stereo Plus, a TV channel he established, had […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Georgia will become a member of the alliance sometime. There has been progress in the reforms and NATO will continue to support the country in that regard. Fogh Rasmussen said this at a joint […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A pro-democracy campaign in Georgia calls on the Saakashvili regime to not stall a negotiated deal intended to secure a more fair election in October. The campaign sent a letter appealing to the president and speaker of parliament to start […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A former Georgian general who was convicted of treason and lived in Russia was killed Monday in Moscow. Russian media report that Roman Dumbadze was hit by bullets from two attackers passing by on motorcycles near his home. Dumbadze died on the […]
At the Summit of NATO, leaders of the NATO and non-NATO member states are discussing the next major phase of transition in Afghanistan, furthermore, related to the further steps to ensure that North-Atlantic Alliance has the capabilities necessary to meet the challenges […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia and Azerbaijan are working on delineating their border, in order to solve the problem regarding Davit Gareja monastery complex, which is a source for concern. Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nikoloz Vashakidze said Monday that the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nikoloz Vashakidze says he hopes that Switzerland will finish selecting the company which will conduct monitoring of goods passing the Russia-Georgia border. Georgia agreed to accept Russia as a WTO member in November […]
There are several points on Georgia in NATO’s declaration in Chicago published on Monday, 21. DF Watch publishes part of the declaration unchanged: «At the 2008 Bucharest Summit we agreed that Georgia will become a member of NATO and we reaffirm all […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The protest continues against the construction work on a historic square in Tbilisi, after workers Saturday started demolishing an old building, apparently without a permit. Witnesses called police, and the work stopped for a while. Several months […]
On 11th of May Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty published an interview with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. It might not raise big interest amongst Georgian media if it would not be right before the NATO Summit on May 20-21, and the question about Georgia […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – NATO countries are meeting in Chicago with aspirant countries and countries which participate in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. The Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili is attending the summit, after having spent several days in the U.S. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The labor code should contribute to employment, faster investments and motivate investors, and only after this may it possible to think about how to improve the rights and conditions of workers in Georgia. This is the position of the country’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Railway is nearer to going live on London Stock Exchange. Georgia’s Economy Ministry confirms the listing, previously reported by DF Watch, and says the government currently is studying the situation on stock exchanges to make sure that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is attractive in regards to ease of doing business and freedom of the economy, says Martin Wansleben, head of the German Chamber of Commerce. He hopes that this will contribute to an influx of German investments to Georgia. Wansleben said […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili sells his development assets in Russia for USD 982.5 million. Ivanishvili, who leads the Georgian Dream coalition, says that he has already sold part of his property in Russia, and the rest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A prisoner in Georgia says he was sexually abused by prison staff and later told he would be killed if he told the outside world about it. In a letter dated February 24, the prisoner asks for help and wants to be transferred to another prison. […]
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 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – President Mikheil Saakashvili suggests to bring Georgian doctors currently working in the U.S. back to Georgia. It is unknown how many doctors will accept the proposal. Saakashvili said it while meeting with doctors in the U.S. The leader used the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – John Bass, U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, says that Hillary Clinton will visit Georgia. In late 2011, it was reported that the US Secretary of State’s was going to visit Georgia, and February was mentioned as a probable date for her arrival. But the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s foreign minister and his Azeri colleague have decided to find a solution to the situation at the Davit Gareja Monastery complex while the two meet at the NATO summit in Chicago May 20 and 21. Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A pro-democracy campaign in Georgia Thursday presented their latest package of modifications to various aspects of the election system, as there are four months left until the parliamentary elections. Among issues they presented to an audience of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says 2012 has many parallels to 2008, and that NATO needs to show decisiveness to avoid a new war between Georgia and Russia. He says NATO hesitated in 2008, and must show more decisiveness at a summit in Chicago […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian government says it will solve the problems with the David Gareja monastery complex on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border. The government raised the issue after witnesses reported that Georgian citizens and tourists aren’t allowed into a […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – There are two articles in Georgia’s Labor Code which entitles employers to terminate a labor contract without giving any explanations or preliminary warnings. A teacher from a village in the Gori region was fired because of her husband’s political […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A celebration of the international day for the fight against homophobia Thursday turned violent as demonstrators were beaten and posters torn. Members of the two organizations LGBT Georgia and Identoba and their supporters held the event in front of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Money transfers from foreign countries to Georgia increased 6.4 percent in April, compared to the same period in 2011. There was also an increase in money transferred abroad in April, compared to last year, according to Georgia’s National Bank. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A man Thursday set himself on fire at the parliament building because the government hasn’t helped him. Parliament employees managed to put out the fire. Then police and firemen arrived and arrested Giorgi Chikhladze. He did not resist arrest. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The recently founded Channel 9 TV, which is affiliated with Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party, has bought a ten percent share in a popular regional television station, TV Trialeti, for one million dollars. Channel 9 Director Kakha Bekauri […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In a new report, the EU Commission criticizes Georgia’s government for the police brutality on May 26, 2011. The criticism comes as the Commission is taking stock of how well each country has performed in 2011 under a democracy building […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is doing away with a law which guaranteed the public access to information about public officials. This means that details about the income, expenses and social benefits of public persons will remain unknown to the public. Openness in this […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Giorgi Targamadze (pictured) is one of the sources for a new report former EU Ambassador to Georgia Per Eklund is writing about the election environment ahead of the parliamentary elections in October. Eklund met with the Christian Democrats parliamentary […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s foreign trade turnover in the first four months of 2012 grew 18 percent compared to the same period in 2011. Georgian National Statistics Department, GeoStat, reported on Wednesday that preliminary figures for January-April 2012 show that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Opposition representatives in Georgia say the flood that took five lives Sunday could have been prevented. The discussion led to a street scuffle between a district governor and an opposition party representative. Besik Gazdeliani, Deputy Governor […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – As Georgia’s capital was drenched in rain water, and a stream flooded a district, killing five, reports went out from the national emergency agency that what caused the disaster was that the river Mtkvari had burst its banks. Mtkvari is the largest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The parliament in Georgia Tuesday once more modified a set of constitutional changes which were meant to let Saakashvili’s main competitor participate in elections. At the second hearing, Vakhtang Khmaladze, legal expert and representative of the […]
Last week was remarkable due to the activities of a number of NGOs (such as TI Georgia, GYLA, ISFED, Coalition for Free Choice, Media Coalition and others), which several months ago started a civic movement called “This Affects You Too”, writes Eka Gigauri, executive […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Lawmakers in Georgia have finally achieved consensus for constitutional changes which will give opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili the right to participate in elections, without being a Georgian citizen. The amendment was originally proposed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Teachers are suffering political discrimination in Georgia ahead of an important election. Only in Shida Kartli, a region bordering on South Ossetia, 21 teachers were fired because their family members supported or were member of the largest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Saakashvili regime has finally revealed how much it is spending on building a new parliament building: USD 82.5 million. Finance minister Dimitry Gvindadze says the whole process with building a new parliament is completely transparent. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has obtained a listing on London Stock Exchange for obligations in Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation. Securities valued USD 250 million were placed on one of the world’s most famous stock exchanges on May 9. According to Kommersant, the lowest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Saakashvili’s main political opponent Bidzina Ivanishvili will sell all his property in Russia by the end of May. The billionaire said this after it became public that his shares in companies in Russia were already sold. According to Forbes magazine, […]
Recent practice and statistics have revealed the extreme severity of the problem of inefficiency of the legal mechanisms that envision release of convicts from imprisonment due to their serious illness, writes Tamta Mikeladze, lawyer at Georgian Young Lawyers’ […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Residents in the disaster struck district of Tbilisi speak about different reasons causing damage during heavy flooding Saturday night. Heavy rain caused mud slide from ravines down towards residential houses and streets. Ortachala is an old district […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Prisons in Georgia are to become more crowded, as the maximum limit on number of inmates is raised, and two prisons are closed down. It’s the controversial Minister for Corrections and Legal Assistance, Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, who has ordered the […]
BILISI, DFWatch – On Saint Andrew’s Day May 12, refugees from Abkhazia gathered at the parliament building in Tbilisi to demand attention from the government and that it gets back the lost territories. Refugees claim this is their first large meeting for the last 20 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – After a series of incidents with security and police, journalists gathered in Tbilisi to share their stories and inform foreign diplomats. Association of Regional Broadcasters had prepared a documentary based on material from regional reporters. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia was hit by heavy rain overnight, causing flash flooding many places. Five deaths are reported in the capital Tbilisi as a reservoir burst in a hill above the city and flooded one district. The Emergency Department in Tbilisi says five people have died from flooding […]
TBILISI, Dfwatch – Groups in Tbilisi today held a small symbolic protest against the mass cutting of trees in the capital. Transparency International Georgia and the organization Green Alternative joined other young activists and local residents on the Deda Ena (Mother […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Political parties in Georgia need to strengthen their internal democracy. This is the conclusion of a new report by Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD). In the report Internal Party Democracy and Local Government NIMD names three […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili has a new initiative to turn the whole government into a digital world, where citizens will be able to speak with 3D images of the ministers. Saakashvili says all citizens should have the opportunity to talk […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The newly inaugurated Russian president Vladimir Putin Friday paid a visit to the border between Russia and the disputed region Abkhazia, signing a new treaty about railways. Mr Putin turned up at Psou, a border crossing which Georgia considers […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – One hundred year old trees are being cut down in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi and are replaced with new saplings, which will need decades to reach mature height. A few days ago workers started cutting trees in Tbilisi’s old district at the end […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Demand is growing within the construction business in Georgia. According to the National Statistics Department, GeoStat, the number of permits for constructions and reconstructions has increased by 43.3 per cent in 2011 compared to 2010. The […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is to create a new 15-year tax privilege for people who invest at least one million USD. An appropriate bill is already initiated in parliament. The government’s parliamentary secretary Gia Khuroshvili explains that the government decided […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – According to unofficial information, 13 people died in the work place in 2011 in Georgia. No official numbers exist for 2012 either, but media reported about a number of fatal incidents in the mining and construction sector. These fatal accidents are […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has said it is unable to conduct a general population census in 2012. Georgia’s National Statistics Department, GeoStat, says even though there was expected to be conducted a census this year, it is not feasible. The statement says that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia’s national antiterrorism committee says it has foiled a terrorist plot planned against the Olympics Games in Sochi in 2014. The committee also says a significant arsenal of weapons was seized. “The ringleader of an international terrorist […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – European liberal politicians visited an opposition billionaire in Tbilisi Thursday to contribute their views on how democracy can progress in Georgia. Representatives of the Liberal International, which is an international federation of liberal […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A series of discussion was held in Tbilisi on Tuesday to review conflict problems in Georgia. Comparisons were made between “good” and “bad” conflict case studies in various African countries with those in Georgia. The main topic of discussion […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Swedish TV recently revealed that Teliasonera has opened their doors for an Orwellian level of surveillance in former Soviet countries. A group of lawyers in Georgia now says that indiscriminate wiretapping is illegal. Georgian Young Lawyer’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Mikheil Saakashvili did not miss out on another chance to mention his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin while giving a speech in Batumi at an international conference about world tourism. Saakashvili said Putin is a person who signed Georgia’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Lawmakers in Georgia have temporarily given EU citizens political rights in the country for the next three years. The rights will expire on January 1, 2014. The constitutional amendment is widely seen as a measure to allow opposition billionaire […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Rivers in Georgia’s Eastern region Kakheti swelled Tuesday after heavy rain and melting snow, but so far there has not been a repeat ot the disaster year 2011. Deputy Governor of the region told Interpressnews that the rivers feeding Alazani, one of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A hypothetical city of half a million which still only exists as a Facebook page will be written into the constitution of Georgia. The initiative comes from president Mikheil Saakashvili, who in a televised speech December 4, 2011 said the new city […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The opposition billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili is going back to court, in a further effort to be recognized as a Georgian citizen. Authorities annulled Ivanishvili’s citizenship shortly after he revealed his plans to become a politician in October […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The U.S. organization Committee for Open Democracy (COD) is to send log term election observers to monitor the parliamentary election in Georgia in October. “We’ll be focusing on the processes of democracy and people’s confidence in these […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s budget is to be increased by 200 million lari by increasing the licensing fees for use of natural resources. Another source for the increase is grants from the EU to finance reforms in different areas, according to Gia Khuroshvili, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – On the 67th anniversary of VE Day, victory in Europe in World War Two, Vladimir Putin sent his congratulations to the leaders of the countries that are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as to the two […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The constitutional changes Georgia recently passed which gives EU citizens the right to stand for election will be restricted to only last for three years. The Christian Democrats party recently suggested constitutional amendments according to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Media and law organizations in Georgia suggest another package of legislative amendments for the electoral environment in the country. The bill will regulate issues like the definition of hidden political advertisement, paid and free political commercials, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Caucasus region experienced two minor earthquakes Monday, the strongest of 5.6 magnitude. The 5.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at 08:40 in the morning with epicenter in the border region between Azerbaijan and Georgia, 17 kilometers from Zagatala, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – During several days, while the whole world was celebrating World Press Freedom Day, journalists have been violated, insulted, beaten or deprived of their cameras and belongings in Georgia, writes Tamar Chugoshvili, leader of Georgian Young Lawyer’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president claims Russia tried to copy the Georgian police reforms, but could not get them to work. Sunday, Saakashvili marked a recently created national holiday called Police Day, held on the same day as St George’s Day, May 6, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The crisis in the EU’s dealings with a disputed region that broke away from Georgia and is heavily militarized by Russia continues as neither side is willing to give in. Abkhazia said before the weekend that it is not going to change its position. The […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Two organizations in Georgia have published information which shows that the party of President Mikheil Saakashvili bribed voters. The groups calls for the Chamber of Control and the Prosecutor’s office to react. As only five months are left until […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Police in Georgia Friday intervened in the work of several independent journalists, but let the government-controlled TV work freely. The victims were covering the discovery of an explosive device in the center of Zugdidi, a town in western Georgia. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Party has broken off relations with Erosi Kitsmarisvhili, a well known politician and former manager of Maestro TV. The party has released a statement saying that for four months, the Georgian party has not had any relations with him, and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Three national TV channels in Georgia selectively left out parts of a new survey. The survey was done by the International Republican Institute, which is affiliated with the Republican party in the United States and is in Georgia to develop democracy. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Groups gathered Thursday to mark World Press Freedom Day with a day-long discussion about how well suited the media environment is to fulfill its public role ahead of the parliamentary election in October. The roundtable discussion was held at Courtyard […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – For three days, journalists from Kutaisi in the west of Georgia have been complaining about harassment by the President and Interior Minister’s guards. On May 2, president Mikheil Saakashvili was giving a speech at the city’s theatre. Nodar Jojua, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A spokesperson for the prison minister in Georgia Friday lied about her whereabouts to divert a crowd of protesters who were angry over a dead prisoner. A spokeswoman for prison minister Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, claimed that she was not in Tbilisi, […]
TBLISI, DFWatch – An independent medical expert says the injuries seen on photos of a prisoner’s dead body were caused by a disease which was not properly treated. Zurab Delianidze died at Gldani prison hospital in Tbilisi. Media learned about his death from family […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Interior Ministry says one person has been arrested for smuggling explosive material to Zugdidi, after crossing the administrative border line with Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia. “Explosive material was seized by the Sappers Division […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgiy Ramazashvili, a Moscow-based archival researcher, in July 2011 discovered that there was new construction work on a historic cemetery in Moscow where many Georgian royals, nobles and historic persons are buried. After Georgian and Russian media […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian foreign ministry ignored calls from an activist in Moscow to help stop the destruction of a historic cemetery where royals, nobles and famous persons are buried. All Saints Cemetery contains the graves of Russian and Georgian nobles and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – ‘I am a reporter, not a spy’; ‘we want free media’ – these were some of the slogans seen during a demonstration in Tbilisi Thursday to mark World Press Freedom Day. The first rally started at 12:00 noon. Protesters symbolically tied their eyes, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A Georgian billionaire’s opposition movement has launched its own TV channel. Channel 9 started broadcasting April 30 and has been given a license by the National Communication Commission to broadcast via satellite. The broadcasting permit is for […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – People gathered in front of parliament Thursday to protest against mistreatment of prisoners, spurred by the news of another death of a prisoner who bore signs of having been beaten. Police reported that the prisoner died of a heart attack, but […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – There are suspicions that a prisoner may have died as a result of torture. The family of Zurab Delianidze (39) claims that he was violently tortured and demand an inquest, according to TSPress.ge, a website run by the newspaper Tavisupali Sitkva. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new poll shows that no matter who is nominated to suceed Mikheil Saakashvili, his party will win the next Georgian presidential election. A poll by the International Republican Institute shows that Saakashvili’s National Movement party still has […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian president says that after he has passed away, he wants his ashes to be spread over a holiday resort on the shores of the Black Sea. President Mikheil Saakashvili said this during a visit to Kutaisi, Georgia’s second largest city, where he is to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The issue about returning management of Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem to Georgia has no connection with the government of Israel, says Yitzhak Gerber, Israel’s Ambassador to Georgia. On May 1, before an event Sheraton Metekhi Palace Hotel in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The new parliament building in Georgia will be only partly completed by the time of the opening session on May 26. In 2011, Mikheil Saakashvili announced that he would move parliament to Kutaisi, Georgia’s second biggest city. He also said that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch -The Georgian ombudsman criticizes a control body overseeing the financing of political parties for having violated civil rights. Earlier this year, there began to come reports about a wave of interrogations in parts of the country outside of Tbilisi. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The American investor Donald Trump praised Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on the morning talk show Fox & Friends recently, calling him “one of the great leaders of the world”. The billionaire and TV personality had just returned from a trip […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Thousands gathered Tuesday in central Tbilisi to celebrate the International Worker’s Day, May 1 and demonstrate in front of the parliament building. Protesters adopted an appeal to the president, government and parliament. They call on authorities […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Breakaway Abkhazia refuses to cooperate with a Polish general who represents the EU, and the EU refuses to replace him, leading to breakdown in talks, but the dispute has had no effect on similar talks about South Ossetia. On April 30 parties gathered […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In first four months of 2012, 61 per cent more people came to Georgia, compared to the same period the previous year. 978 521 person visited Georgia between January and April this year, according to the Interior Ministry. Over three hundred thousand […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s vice prime minister criticizes foreign embassies in Tbilisi of not following up a new agreement meant to simplify visa application procedures. Giorgi Baramidze was reacting to a new report by Liberal Academy Tbilisi, adding that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Nani (48) left Georgia about 17 years ago to work in Italy and send money to her family. She’s from Samtredia, a small town in Western Georgia. Her husband works at a local theater, earning a small salary. Her daughter goes to school, while her son […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – For the first time in more than five years, spring in the Georgian capital will not be marked by crowds demanding the resignation of President Saakashvili. At least the largest opposition party won’t be demanding that he steps down. Georgian Dream doesn’t […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The prime ministers of Georgia and Lithuania today signed a memorandum of understanding. The MoU deals with cooperation within local government between Lithuania’s national assembly, the Seimas’s Committee on State Administration and Local Government […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A team of election experts from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will visit Georgia June 11-16. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is sending a mission in connection with Georgia’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A delegation from Lithuania’s Seimas will visit Georgia on Monday. In the morning, the delegation which are members of the Seimas’ Committee on State Administration and Local Government, will participate in a Georgian-Lithuanian forum about local […]
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: […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia has opened an embassy in Nicaragua. According to Apsnypress, Abkhazia’s ambassador to Venezuela, Zaur Gvajava, will also take on the function as ambassador to Nicaragua. Nicaragua will help Abkhazians in their relations […]
During and after the Russo-Georgia conflict in August 2008, there have been a lot of human rights violations committed by both parties in the conflict, such as unlawful and disproportionate use of force by the military, unlawful detention of persons, inhuman treatment, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – In a letter to Hilary Clinton, U.S. Senator John McCain expresses concern about Georgia’s occupied territories and calls for the Secretary of the State to support Georgia. “The upcoming NATO summit in Chicago presents an excellent opportunity to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The main opposition bloc in Georgia says if it wins October’s election, it will get back the breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia through negotiations, with Germany as mediator. Irakli Alasania, an ex-diplomat and opposition politician who […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A Russian businessman was severely beaten at his office in Abkhazia by local business partners. A video was posted to Youtube showing footage taken from a surveillance camera. Igor Varov was taken to the hospital on April 6, due to injuries suffered […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Interior Minister says Georgia is the only country in the world where police haven’t used weapons against a criminal for three years. “For the last three-four years no person has died from policemen’s weapon in Georgia, no policeman died […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Armenian community asks parliament to recognize the events of 1915-1923 in Turkey as genocide and also asks Tbilisi City Hall to build a memorial dedicated to victims of the genocide. Two years ago, the community received a positive answer […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Giga Bokeria, Georgia’s Secretary of Security Council blames opposition leader Irakli Alasania of having caused the announcement by Abkhazia which declared the head of the EU monitoring mission (EUMM) to Georgia an undesirable person. He expressed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russian President calls his Georgian counterpart clueless and says that sooner or later there will be a new leader in Georgia, with whom Russia can cooperate. Dmitry Medvedev made this statement during an interview broadcast on a Russian TV channel. […]
The head of the EU observers in Georgia is a persona non grata in Abkhazia. The breakaway region’s leadership thinks he should have investigated an alleged build-up of paramilitaries in Western Georgia. (Illustration photo. EU.) TBILISI, DFWatch – The de facto foreign ministry of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia has declared the head of the EU observers a persona non grata. As a consequence, the ministry canceled the 36th planned meeting of the incident prevention mechanisms on Tuesday. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s interior minister, Vano Merabishvili, must today answer a question in parliament about a warning he received a year and a half before the war with Russia in August 2008. The billionaire who says he made the warning is now building an opposition […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The National Bank of Georgia Wednesday decided to lower the main refinancing rate by a quarter point to 6.25%. Lowering the rate now is an indication that the bank has an optimistic view of the country’s economy. In a statement, the bank notes that the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Two groups in Georgia want to change a new secrecy law which they say restricts access to public information. Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), Transparency International Georgia and Institute for Development of Freedom of Information […]
One of the priority directions of Georgian Development Research Institute (GDRI) is the concept on public service reform, writes Levan Izoria, lawyer at the GDRI. The aim of the given concept is to create a guarantees for the independence of the public servant. Until recently […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The European Union and United Nations Development Program is starting a new round of media monitoring in Georgia for the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in 2012 and 2013. All kinds of media outlets will be monitored, including TV, radio, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s Defense Ministry informs that another soldier has died in Afghanistan, bringing the total number of servicemen lost there to sixteen. Valerian Khujadze was serving in the 31st Battalion in the volatile Helmand province. The incident happened on […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A scuffle broke out Tuesday in the Georgian parliament during a debate about the Armenian genocide. Jondi Baghaturia, member of parliament (MP) for the opposition Georgian Troupe party, asked in a speech what the government is going to do regarding a […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – President Mikheil Saakashvili Monday marked the start of construction work for a new hydro power station in a mountainous region in Western Georgia. The Nenskra power station in the village Chuberi will deliver 210 megawatt when finished. According to […]
In 2011, within the framework of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation’s European Integration Program, a report: Implementation of European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan (ENP AP) for 2011 in Georgia: Assessment of Civil Society Representatives was prepared. Economic […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Štefan Füle, the EU’s commissioner for enlargement, promises that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia will remain a high priority on the EU’s agenda. He says they are paying particular attention to the newly adopted law on political unions […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The tax pressure will be relieved, sanctions liberalized and the administration will be simplified, the government has decided. Rusudan Kemularia, Deputy Finance Minister, held a briefing on Monday regarding the plan. She presented amendments to the tax […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Negotiations will start between Georgia and the U.S. at the end of May aimed at intensifying trade relations. Georgia’s Prime Minister Nika Gilauri announced this after returning from a visit to the U.S. Gilauri met the heads of the Millennium Challenge […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly again says Russia’s practice of issuing passport in territories it occupies in Georgia is a violation of international rules. According to the Georgian parliament’s press office, relating information […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia and Turkey have still not reached agreement over the exact text of a treaty about protection of historic sites. Deputy foreign minister Nino Kalandadze said Monday that additional sites may be included as the talks progress. The treaty concerns […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights expresses readiness to take part in observing the parliamentary elections in Georgia. Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze adds that Georgia is not waiting for an official response […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An advocacy group of young lawyers says the construction of a new parliament building in western Georgia is so opaque that there could well be corruption without anyone noticing. Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) has researched the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A delegation of South African farmers have arrived in Georgia to check the prospects of taking root here. Papuna Davitaia, State Minister for Diaspora Issues, opened the conference, which is held at Radisson Hotel, by underlining that business relations […]
Anzor Kokoladze believes the takeover of Elit Electronics was a conspiracy. (Photo: Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch – One of the largest electronics chains in Georgia has been taken away from its founder, as the remaining 15 per cent of shares were sold at an auction. Anzor Kokoladze, who built the chain from scratch, is serving an eight year prison term after a tax […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Saturday, the opposition party everybody expects to challenge Mikheil Saakashvili in October’s parliamentary election gathered for a founding congress in Tbilisi. Its unofficial leader, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, promised to revive agriculture […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ambassador to Sweden protests against the portrayal of his country as an Orwellian society where everybody is under surveillance by the secret police. Ambassador Konstantin Kavtaradze sent a letter to SVT, the Swedish public broadcaster, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – American billionaire Donald Trump has left Georgia, after a two day visit. Trump arrived Saturday in Tbilisi, and Sunday held a press conference in Batumi, where he plans to cooperate with local investors on building a 47-storey residential high rise […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The international trade in weapons which fuels conflicts around the world may be brought under control, if talks in New York in July bear fruit. If successful, the talks will lead to the world’s first Arms Trade Treaty, aimed at preventing weapons from reaching the […]
TBLISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s main opposition party today chose a female lawyer as its temporary leader. As there is less than six months left until the parliamentary elections, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili today formally established his Georgian Dream party. Due to […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A new law lets companies escape all debt if they go bankrupt, freeing the owners of all responsibilities. Following a decision by the government, companies in Georgia will be able to liquidate without paying debts. Creditors won’t be able to ask […]
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) in partnership with the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) and the Russian Justice Initiative (RJI) have lodged a number of cases against the Russian Federation of victims of 2008 August war with the European Court of Human Rights, writes Tamar Abazadze, lawyer at Georgian Young Lawyer's Association (GYLA). The [...]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The American billionaire Donald Trump arrived at Tbilisi international airport noon Saturday for a two day visit to Georgia. Meeting him at the airport were Minister for Economic Development Vera Kobalia and head of Silk Road Group Giorgi Ramishvili. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – It is still unknown who will be the formal leader of the main opposition movement in Georgia, less than six months before the parliamentary elections. But there is little doubt that the real leader will be billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who Saturday […]
Anzor Kokoladze, the founder of one of Georgia’s most successful electronics chains, Elit Electronics, accuses the authorities of having conspired to take it over. He claims a bank, the prosecutor, the Tbilisi mayor, and a court cooperated on the scheme. Kikodze is currently in jail serving an eigth year term for failure to service a debt, a sentence upheld by the Supreme Court. (Photo: Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch – There are many reports in Georgia these days of deprivation of property rights. People abandon their property or donate it to the government right after registering it at the Public Registry, and later refuse to speak about their reasons. The founder […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – An organization in Georgia has revealed video footage showing the working conditions of Georgians in Turkey. Merab Ghoghoberidze, head of Information Center for Georgia’s Fight against Corruption in Batumi, told Interpressnews that Georgians contacted […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration is accused of bribing voters, after several closed meetings with the population in different cities in Georgia, Maestro TV reports. The meetings were held to introduce the ruling National […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says it causes confusion and apprehension for his country that Georgia continues to be a candidate for NATO membership. Lavrov said this after a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council Thursday. “Now, NATO […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Property close to the occupied territories of Georgia are to be exempted from property tax. The government proposes to amend the tax code so that land which is owned by a person or property lands that are located near the occupied territories, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – How can Armenia and Georgia create more growth – literally – in their border region? Agriculture was the topic of a conference Thursday at Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Tbilisi. The goal was to exchange information on local planning and […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Family violence may become a crime in Georgia. Systematic physical, psychological violence or force by one family member against another, which causes physical, psychological or moral pain or suffering for the victim, will be punished by a fine or […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – South Ossetia Thursday inaugurated its newly elected de facto president, former local KGB head Leonid Tibilov. The second round of president elections in the Georgian breakaway region was held on April 8. Tibilov competed against David Sanakoyev, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The pressure group Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association says supporters of the opposition Georgian Dream coalition are regularly subject to pressure in the eastern Kakheti region of Georgia. Spokesperson for GYLA’s Kakheti office told 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 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Germany is satisfied with how the negotiations between Georgia and the EU are going, to work out an association agreement. Cornelia Pieper, Germany’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, said this after a meeting with her Georgian colleague. Pieper […]
The U.S. has been subject to criticism for several covert projects which some claim are in breach of the ban on biological weapons. But there is no reason to suspect that such research would be done at this laboratory in Tbilisi. TBILISI, DFWatch – A new U.S. financed biological laboratory opened in March 2011 near Tbilisi. It will have American military researchers working there. Is it a problem? According to the website of the Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, it “will belong to an international […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Another suspect in the attack on de facto Abkhazian president is reported to have committed suicide. Ria Novosti reports that Temur Khutaba hanged himself. He was one of the men suspected in the failed assassination attempt on Alexander Ankvab on […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – A former Interior minister suspected of participating in the attack on the de facto president of Abkhazia on February 22, committed suicide on Tuesday. Abkhazian news agency Apsnypress reports that operational units of the co-called Interior Ministry […]
The Roki tunnel is closing. (Photo: Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch – The tunnel carrying the only road connecting Russia and Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia will be partly closed for the next three years, starting April 24, Russian media reports. The Roki tunnel runs through the greater Caucasus mountain range […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Railways is set to be listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), becoming the second Georgian companies to achieve a listing, after Bank of Georgia. Prime Minister Nika Gilauri said April 12 that the government was planning to place several […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Germany’s Minister of State under Foreign Minister Cornelia Pieper visits Georgia. Announcing the visit Tuesday, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said that Pieper will arrive today on April 17 and have meetings here April 18 and 19. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – That Hillary Clinton is coming to Georgia is now certain, as the two countries have completed agreeing on formalities around the visit. But the exact date for the U.S. Secretary of State’s trip still has to be decided, says Nino Kalandadze, Deputy […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia has no detailed information about the three Turkish citizens who were arrested for smuggling radioactive material to Turkey. The three had driven by car from Russia, transiting through Georgia, and were arrested on April 11, carrying […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The fifth meeting of the working group on democracy within the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter was held on April 16 in Washington. The Georgian Foreign Affairs Ministry informs that parties discussed ongoing and already implemented […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Russia considers Georgia’s decision to terminate its obligations under the Open Skies treaty with respect to Russia a flagrant violation of the treaty. “The Treaty does not provide any discriminatory restrictions on the rights of any state party. […]
On 28th of February 2012, the Constitutional Court of Georgia upheld the complaint of Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association and repealed article 8.2 of the Georgian law on “operative investigative activity.” Only if the investigative authority has obtained judicial […]
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 […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Givi Maisuradze (41) is one of many independent taxi drivers in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. He works day and night and has been a driver since the 1990s, a period he calls ‘the dark times’, because the whole city was in darkness at night. Today, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The Azerbaijani government warns its citizens about visiting Georgia’s occupied territories. The warning is more matter-of-fact than a previous warning from the Kremlin to Russians who might be tempted to go to Georgia after a visa is no longer needed […]
