TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian parliament grudgingly abandoned its plan to overturn the president’s veto against a decision to postpone legislation that would quickly curb the Interior Ministry’s ability to carry out secret surveillance. Georgia has introduced […]
President Giorgi Margvelashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Giorgi Margvelashvili Friday vetoed a decision by the Georgian parliament to postpone a decision about reining in the use secret surveillance by the state. The veto is a highly confrontational move that could be a precursor of a major rift […]
Tbilisi City Court. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court on Thursday placed five Defense Ministry officials in pre-trial detention. The five are charged with embezzling more than four million lari in connection with a tender for building high speed Internet. The hearing was […]
Georgia’s new immigration law will be amended. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The criticism of the new immigration law in Georgia seems to have yielded some results: lawmakers are contemplating amendments to existing legislation concerning visa and residency permit. The parliament of Georgia has already received […]
Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s public defender recommends that the Ministry of Education reconsiders a decision to allow the use of photo and video recordings of children during psychologist consultations. A psychology center for school children was opened in spring […]
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. (NATO.) TBILISI, DFWatch–New NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will meet Georgia’s prime minister on November 17. Secretary General Stoltenberg said this in a speech at the German Marshall Fund in Brussels on Wednesday. The stated purpose of the meeting with Georgian PM Irakli […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The de facto government of Abkhazia considers inadequate a proposal by the Georgian prime minister to make Abkhazia an autonomous republic inside Georgia. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili made the proposal […]
Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s parliament speaker says the detention of five defense ministry officials accused of corruption has seriously harmed the country’s defense ability, even if the charges turn out to be false. Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili […]
National Movement spokesperson Irma Nadirashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister claims the party associated with former President Mikheil Saakashvili is planning to destabilize the country in connection with a demonstration planned on November 15. The National Movement announced the rally a few days […]
Interior Minister Alexandre Chikaidze destroying the ‘dirty archive’ in February, 2014. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The question of who should hold the access keys to the ‘black boxes’ containing secret surveillance material in Georgia has been postponed six more months. As other former Soviet countries, Georgia has experienced widespread use of phone tapping […]
The president’s wife Maka Chichua performing Tuesday at Marjanishvili Theater. (Palitra.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s first lady and several government ministers took part in a theater performance on Tuesday dedicated to women who have been victims of violence. The title of the performance, held at Marjanishvili Theater, was ‘Women wounded to death’ […]
President Giorgi Margvelashvili (left) and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili shaking hands Tuesday. (Photo published on Facebook by the president’s office.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s president and prime minister laid their differences to rest on Tuesday and put on big smiles for a session of the National Security Council. The session was called by President Giorgi Margvelashvili to come up with ideas for how to respond […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One man died as a result of a building collapse in western Georgia Monday night. A water reservior burst in the office of the State Security Agency in the town Zugdidi, near the Abkhazian region. The victim is head of department Zviad Lagvilava. […]
The Defense Ministry issued a statement after one former and four current officials were detained. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia on Tuesday detained five officials at the Defense Ministry and accused them of embezzlement of about USD 2.3 million of the state’s money. The office accuses them of granting advantages to the communication […]
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister unexpectedly announced that he will attend a meeting today of the National Security Council, which was called by the president to respond to a proposed new pact between Russia and breakaway Abkhazia. Despite […]
Sarah Delys is a criminologist working for Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre in Tbilisi. Two weeks ago the weekend news was dominated by cases of acts of violence against women. Especially the murder at Ilia State University on October 17 and the subsequent media reports of other cases of domestic violence over the course of two days spurred the debate. […]
Irina Imerlishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president has called a meeting of the National Security Council tomorrow to discuss an issue that may influence the country’s territorial integrity, but several central figures in the government are unlikely to show up. President Giorgi […]
Yulia Tynoshenko (left) presented Giorgi Arveladze (right) as one of her new advisers on Ukrainian channel Inter TV. TBILISI, DFWatch–Right before Ukrainians went to the polls in Sunday’s parliamentary election, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko named a former Georgian economy minister as one of her advisers. Tymoshenko is leader of Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), a small […]
Maia Miminoshvili, head of the National Exam Center. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The exam authority in Georgia has suggested introducing a new test in ‘civic equality’ as part of the entrance exams for university studies. The new test has been proposed by the National Exam Center against the background of a recent discussion […]
14 people were detained in the clashes in Mokhe. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An archbishop in Georgia claims the disputed building in Mokhe was formerly a church, and that allowing it to be used by Muslims is unacceptable. The conflict in the village Mokhe near Adigeni started last week when workers came to start dismantling […]
The Tbilisoba fair kicks off today in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–This weekend marks the first Tbilisoba – the annual celebration of Georgia’s capital – under the new local government. A new mayor and new members of the City Council were elected in June. The list of events planned on Saturday and Sunday is quite […]
Journalist Zaza Davitaia had a broken rib and a concussion after being beaten on October 1. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police two days ago detained a man who is suspected of beating a journalist working for a conservative newspaper. According to the Interior Ministry, the suspect insulted and beat Zaza Davitaia on October 22 in the center of Tbilisi. Davitaia […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s foreign trade turnover in the first nine months of 2014 was ten percent more than the year before, according to figures published Friday by the National Statistics Department, Geostat. The total turnover was USD 8,376 million, out […]
Former President Mikheil Saakashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Three foreign prosecutors visiting Georgia have concluded that there is enough evidence to continue the criminal prosecution of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili and three of his associates. Georgia’s chief prosecutor’s office announced this on Thursday. […]
Shura Mikeladze. (Photo published by Samkhretis Karibche.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Politicians Thursday began making sense of the conflict in Mokhe the day before, while local Muslims spent the whole night at the police station where people are being held who were detained. The scuffle began as Muslims tried to stop the […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Conflict continued Wednesday in the small Georgian village Mokhe, as an old mosque was dismantled from morning. Muslims tried to protest, but the Orthodox Christians opposed them and there came to a scuffle, during which 14 people were detained. […]
(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Ukraine support rallies were held in three different Georgian cities on Wednesday. They were organized by the National Platform, which is an umbrella organization uniting more than a hundred non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Rallies were held […]
Bacho Akhalaia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One of the strongmen in Saakashvili’s government was Wednesday sentenced to seven years and six months in jail in a case concerning beating of prisoners and a fatal shooting in 2006. As the judge announced the verdict there was noise […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of people from the organization Free Generation Tuesday evening demonstrated outside the office of the National Movement, Georgia’s former ruling party, demanding that it is declared illegal. In the ensuing scuffle, six person were detained […]
Tuesday’s meeting was facilitated by EUMM’s head, Toivo Klaar, and Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger from the OSCE. (Photo published by EUMM.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Russian drones are endangering the security and stability in the region, Georgia’s representatives said at a meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) Tuesday. As DF Watch reported earlier, a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Demonstrators gathered outside the government office on Tuesday to demand better protection of women after what they claim is 23 killings of women this year in incidents of domestic violence. It is not known who organized the demonstration, but it […]
People in Mokhe are unhappy about the mufti’s performance in a conflict about a mosque. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in south Georgia are planning to start a petition to dismiss the country’s mufti, who they claim is illegitimate and gave them false promises. A few days ago, there was a conflict in the village Mokhe, where an old mosque is going […]
(Photo: Irakli Kupradze.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Students demonstrated Monday against the construction of a new petrol station on an area that is part of Tbilisi State University. The company claims it owns all rights to the land and is not violating any law by building the gas station. Led by […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Supporters of Georgia’s former regime demonstrated outside the house of the prime minister on Sunday. Outraged passers-by confronted them, and several people were detained in the scuffle. The protesters demanded that the courts are freed from […]
Vano Merabishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Georgian interior minister Vano Merabishvili was Monday sentenced to three years in jail for involvement in the cover-up of the murder of a bank employee in 2006. Tbilisi City Court found the former minister guilty and also prohibited him from […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in Mokhe, a village in the south of Georgia, protested on Saturday, because they don’t want to give up an old mosque and turn it into a culture center. The Orthodox population rallied against them demanding to construct a new culture center […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Bad weather continued to cause problems in many parts of Georgia on Sunday. A storm was raging on the Black Sea coast while rivers were flooded, damaging roads and houses in villages. The river Khobistskali spilled over its banks, paralyzing the road […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–After a lecturer was murdered in the corridor of a Tbilisi university on Friday, there have been more reports of domestic violence across Georgia, leaving one woman dead and one man in a critical condition in a separate incident. In Tbilisi, a patrol police […]
Sarah Delys is a criminologist working for Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre in Tbilisi. On 7 October, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) unanimously ruled in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the case of Begheluri and Others v. Georgia. The 99 Georgians, all but one of whom are Jehovah’s Witnesses, alleged that they were victims of large-scale […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A lecturer was shot dead by her former husband at Ilia State University (ISU) in Tbilisi on Friday. The murderer committed suicide on the spot. Maka Tsivtsivadze was holding an English lecture, when she was visited by her former husband. He called […]
Data Akhalaia now plans to apply for political asylum in Greece. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A court in Greece has refused to extradite a former Georgian official who is charged with involvement in the murder of a bank employee and several other crimes, including abuse of power. Data Akhalaia is seen as a close ally of ex-President Mikheil […]
Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili admires Ivanishvili’s philanthropism. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The speaker of the Georgian parliament went on the offensive Thursday against former President Mikheil Saakashvili and in defense of the billionaire who brought together the current government coalition, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Speaker of Parliament […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The police on Thursday arrested two youngsters for suspicion of vandalizing a church just during a religious holiday. The detainees are two teens of 17 and 15 years old. The latter has a prior conviction. While searching the homes of the suspects, […]
Zurab Abashidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s envoy for talks with Russia says he will meet his Russian counterpart in Prague on Thursday, despite criticism from his coalition fellow party members. But Zurab Abashidze says he will inevitably touch a very contentious issue during […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s new immigration law has created a lot of problems for foreigners who already live, study or work in the country. People DF Watch spoke to say their applications are being rejected for unclear reasons. They also question why it is required to file […]
Deputy Interior Minister Levan Izoria. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian law enforcers are investigating alleged plans by the former ruling party, the National Movement, to destabilize the country and overthrow its government, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Levan Izoria told opposition-leaning TV channel Rustavi 2. […]
Tedo Japaridze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A proposed new comprehensive agreement between Russia and Abkhazia has triggered a quarrel between two veterans of the Georgian diplomacy who both belong to the ruling Georgian Dream coalition. The text of the draft proposes ‘a common space […]
Photo published on the kidnap victim Ioseb Giorkhelidze’s Facebook page. TBILISI, DFWatch–The police on Monday arrested four persons for alleged kidnapping, two of whom are former members of special forces units in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). MIA states that the four kidnapped a 19 year old man, Ioseb Giorkhelidze. Two members […]
The Roki tunnel, one of the roads through Caucasus that is virtually not operational due to the political situation. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia views with caution the construction by Russia of yet another trans-Caucasus road, while the opposition sees a direct threat for a country whose territory’s 18 percent is occupied by its northern neighbor. In North Caucasus, authorities […]
The mosque in Duisi, Pankisi Gorge. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One more Georgian jihadist from Pankisi Gorge has been killed in Syria fighting alongside the Islamic State. 22 year old Guram Gumashvili is the seventh rebel fighter from Pankisi to be killed in the Syrian war, according to the Kakheti […]
The house where Jehovah’s Witnesses meet in Ozurgeti was attacked January 1, 2014. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The European Court of Human Rights last week found that Georgia has violated the human rights of the Jehovah’s Witnesses community in the country. The violations the court looked at date 14 years back in time, but the group is still being attacked […]
A new investigation of Zhvania’s death was one of the promises made by the Georgian Dream coalition in the 2012 election campaign. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The investigation into the death of the Georgian prime minister Zurab Zhvania in 2005 will soon enter its final stage, according to the brother of the deceased. Goga Zhvania said Friday that it’s still unclear whether the investigators […]
(Interpressnews.) “Inga, can I stay with you for a week? Something terrible happened.” This is a message I got from a close friend earlier this week. Apparently, she went out with her friends and did not hear her brother calling. Then, in the middle of the night, her brother and her […]
President Giorgi Margvelashvili has pardoned 463 prisoners so far this year. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Wednesday was probably the happiest day in the lives of 88 prisoners in Georgia, as they were allowed to walk free following a presidential pardon. Another 27 got their sentences reduced by half or one third. The decree by President Giorgi […]
The earthquake caused debris to fall down in the Mindeli coal mine in Tkibuli, injuring one miner. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A 3.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the south central slopes of the Caucasus mountains Wednesday. The earthquake occurred at 4:36 pm Tbilisi time and had its epicenter near the mining town Tkibuli, in western Georgia. According to Tamaz Dolaberidze, […]
Few girls finish secondary school in Sagarejo, because they get married at a young age. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–When a young man was murdered last weekend in Kazlar, an Azeri village 40km east of Tbilisi, it could have been one among many stories of violence and homicides in rural Georgia, but the circumstances of this case makes it stand out. 21 year […]
Locals say there isn’t any physical barrier marking the disputed border near Kvemo Ikorta. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Russian border guards on Tuesday detained a husband and wife in a village bordering breakaway South Ossetia. The two, Kakha Kazishvili and Zina Natriashvili, were detained in the village Kvemo Ikorta as they were trying to cross the ‘border’ to visit relatives. […]
Zviad Jankarashvili. (Photo published on Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A relative of the Georgian prime minister has been appointed as executive secretary of the Georgian Dream Party, the largest member of the government coalition by the same name. It was a unanimous decision by the political council of the Georgian […]
Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former Georgian prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says he wants to host a weekly talk show. This comes after Ivanishvili many times has criticized Georgian media for bias and lack of professionalism. The new talk show is one of two projects presented […]
The police officer suspected of fatally shooting a young man in Kutaisi on Friday has been charged with murder. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The police officer who shot to death a young man in Kutaisi has been charged with purposeful murder and exceeding his power using a firearm and faces up to 15 years in jail. The police officer pleaded not guilty. His lawyer told journalists […]
Irakli Garibashvili made the comment while inspecting the grape harvesting in Kakheti. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian government may change a new controversial law on immigration that has caused a wave of confusion and irritation in the country’s expat community. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said this during a visit to the eastern Kakheti region […]
21 year old Mirza Gochuadze died after being shot by police during a car chase in Kutaisi Friday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A police officer who shot to death a 21 year old man in Kutaisi on Friday has been arrested. The Ministry on Internal Affairs has not released the name of the officer, who is suspected of exceeding his power. Details about the shooting are sketchy, […]
Locals in Kobuleti have set up barricades and keep guard 24/7 to prevent Muslims from entering a planned madrasa. (DF Watch.) KOBULETI, DFWatch–In the past couple of years, Muslims in Georgia have experienced more and more animosity directed toward them. In 2012, Muslims were opposed when they tried to open a mosque in Nigvziani; in 2013 villagers in Samtatskharo were not allowed to perform […]
21-year old Mirza Gochuadze died after being shot by police in a car chase. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A 21 year old man was shot by police during a car chase Friday in Kutaisi. The man later died from his injuries. The police shooting sent shockwaves through the local community in this Georgia’s second largest city, where people remember how police […]
Six Georgian students will be able to go to the UK to complete their Master’s degrees this year with Chevening scholarships. (Photo published by the UK embassy on Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In 2014-2014, six Georgian students will continue their Masters degrees at British universities with support from the Chevening program. The scholarships are mainly given for studies within economy and politics. The UK government […]
Only the main checkpoint on the Enguri river will be operational. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The newly elected de facto president of the breakaway region Abkhazia wants to close five out of a total of six ’official’ checkpoints that divide Abkhazia from Georgia proper. According to Russian news agency Ria Novosti, Abkhazia’s new president, […]
Youth activists who want Saakashvili back in power clashed with his opponents Thursday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Opponents and supporters of former President Saakashvili clashed again in Tbilisi on Thursday, two days after their first showdown. The two rival political youth groups stood against each other on Pekini Street, cursing opponents and throwing bottles, […]
Zurab Kitsmarishvili believes that his brother was murdered. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Investigators haven’t found any evidence that Georgia’s former ambassador to Russia and founder of Rustavi 2 TV company was murdered. “On the basis of testimonies by hundreds of witnesses, appropriate documents, videotapes, evidence […]
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been subject to a wave of violent attacks in Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In the last few years, Georgia has had a surge in discrimination against religious minorities. A new report reveals that also a silent, invisible day-to-day form of discrimination is prevalent within government institutions and among public servants. […]
The mosque in Duisi, Pankisi Gorge. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A man from Pankisi Gorge stabbed his sister in the chest with a knife for refusing to wear a hijab. The brother, 35, inflicted 7 wounds on his 33 year old sister, a former police officer. Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge is located in the northeast […]
Outgoing head of Georgia’s Supreme Court, Kote Kublashvili was a key player in the controversial justice reforms. TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president on Tuesday presented parliament with his two candidates to take over as head of Supreme Court. This was the second time President Giorgi Margvelashvili presented Nino Bakakuri and Zurab Dzlierishvili as candidates to take over […]
Journalist Zaza Davitaia threatened retaliation after being injured in the clash. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two groups of politically motivated youth clashed on Tuesday, inflicting injuries on each other. The conflict started after activists from the pro-National Movement youth group Tavisupali Zona (Free Zone) severely beat a journalist from a conservative […]
