TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia blames a drop in the number medical visits from South Ossetia on obstacles imposed by Tskhinvali justified by claim Ossetians are being ‘humiliated’. In 2017, there was a sharp drop in the number of people traveling from South Ossetia to Georgia proper to get medical treatment. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Five men were detained in a counter-terrorism operation in Georgia Tuesday morning accused of links to a terror plot involving a senior ISIS operative who was killed in Tbilisi a month ago. The five, Zurab Gornakashvili, Ruslan Aldamov, Ramaz Margoshvili, […]
Akhmed Chatayev. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A notorious ISIS fighter who was killed in Tbilisi a month ago was planning terror attacks against diplomatic missions in Georgia and Turkey, Georgian authorities said on Tuesday. The security police made the claim based on information […]
Dranda prison near Sokhumi. TBILISI, DFWatch–Authorities in breakaway Abkhazia released a Georgian ex-soldier on Monday after serving seven years of a 20 year sentence. Giorgi Lukava, who was seized by Sokhumi in 2011, was handed over to Georgian authorities at Enguri bridge, […]
(Newscaucasus.com) GALI, DFWatch–Breakaway Abkhazia will start issuing “visas” at the Enguri border crossing. Until now, these travel documents have only been issued in Sokhumi and Gali. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia was among 21 countries that were absent during a vote in the UN General Assembly on Thursday to annul the US’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “We […] have had consultations with our partners and our delegation […]
Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili. TBILISI, DFWatch–PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili swore several times at his counterpart during a debate with the acting head of the largest opposition party UNM on Wednesday. […]
Salahuddin al-Shishani, whose real name was Giorgi Margoshvili, was reportedly killed in Syria’s northern Hama province. TBILISI, DFWatch–A high-profile al-Qaeda affiliated field commander of Georgian-Kist origin has been killed in the Syrian civil war. Reports by Syrian and Lebanese news agencies said Salahuddin al-Shishani, was killed during a Russian air raid near Hama province, in northern Syria. […]
GALI, DWatch–Abkhazia plans to begin charging import tax at a checkpoint with Georgia proper and impose stricter regulations on what goods are allowed to bring across. The plans were aired by the head of Abkhazia’s de facto customs service, […]
Russian troops near the village of Dzartsemi, South Ossetia. (Sputnik-Ossetia.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Russian soldiers are participating in military exercises in both Georgian breakaway territories, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Troops from all of Russia’s four military districts are taking part in the drills. […]
The Mercedez-Benz Ardzinba and Khagba were in was riddled with bullets on the road connecting Sokhumi with Gudauta. (Ekhokavkaza.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The man accused of attempting to assassinate Abkhazia’s former de facto president in 2012 was shot dead by strangers on Wednesday. Also his driver died in the attack. Pavel Ardzinba and his chauffeur were driving along the road connecting Sokhumi with Gudauta when their Mercedes-Benz was literally […]
Nika Melia, the head of UNM ruling body, surrounded by party members, reads the address at Saturday briefing. Georgia’s former ruling party expresses solidarity against the “political persecution” of its leader, Mikheil Saakashvili, who is under arrest in Kiev, Ukraine. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Abkhazia’s export of mandarins and other produce has plummeted by 2.7 times, dealing a heavy blow to the breakaway republic’s economy. Local media blame the bad harvest on the spread of brown marmorated stink bug, which has devastated crops also in Georgia. […]
Upon his release, Giorgi Giunashvili (center) was met by Georgian representatives at the defunct Ergneti checkpoint. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–At the 42nd round of the Geneva talks, 12-13 December, Abkhazia will probably demand that Tbilisi must release an Abkhazian militant from a Georgian prison, and in return, Giorgi Giunashvili will be released from a Tskhinvali prison. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Crowds gathered outside a school in the center of Tbilisi Sunday evening to pay tribute to two teenage boys who were brutally murdered by their peers two days earlier. School students and teachers, as well as relatives of the victims, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s State Security Service (SUS) acknowledged Friday that one of the suspects killed in a counterterrorism operation Nov 22 was Akhmed Chatayev. Local media have speculated that the Chechnya-born ISIS member was among the dead. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Constitutional Court on Thursday struck down a law requiring a doctor’s prescription to use marijuana, scoring another victory for campaigners who want the soft drug fully decriminalized. An individual’s right “to choose the desired kind of the relaxation […] including marijuana, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–One of the three terrorism suspects killed in a shootout with police on November 22 might be a Chechen who oversaw the Ataturk Airport bombings in 2016 which claimed 45 lives. Vakhtang Gomelauri, head of the State Security Agency (SUS), […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–11 people are confirmed dead, and an unknown number injured in a massive fire Friday night at a five-star hotel in Batumi which is hosting the Miss Georgia contest. More than a hundred firefighters and other personnel scrambled to the Leogrand Hotel & Casino […]
Razdakhan checkpoint near Akhalgori (cominf.org). De facto authorities of South Ossetia shut down the single checkpoint connecting the breakaway republic with Georgia proper due to the recently introduced public holiday, […]
(1tv.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–Three suspects and one police officer have been killed in a massive anti-terror operation in a Tbilisi suburb against suspected Chechens. Four police were also wounded in the standoff, which lasted over 20 hours, a spokesperson for the State Security Service of Georgia (SUS) said at a briefing Wednesday evening. […]
მემორიალური ქვა შოტლანდიის ქალაქ კილმანროკში. (rferl.org) TBILISI, DFWatch–A memorial stone dedicated to victims of a separatist war in Georgia 1992-93 will be restored, the deputy the foreign minister of Georgia has said. The stone in the town of Kilmarnock was recently taken down […]
(cominf.org). TBILISI, DFWatch–Breakaway South Ossetia is preventing ambulances from crossing the de facto border with Georgia proper on weekends and at nights from 8 pm till 8 am. Echo Kavkaza reports that the informal restrictions were introduced about a month ago, […]
აფხაზური “ვიზა” (DFWatch). Gali, DFWatch–The de facto authorities in Abkhazia are developing new ways to discriminate against the ethnic Georgian population in the region’s southeast Gali district. “We are absolutely deprived of any civil rights. […]
Damon Wilson is an American foreign policy advisor and the current executive vice president at the Atlantic Council of the United States, a foreign and public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. To assess the past local elections in Georgia, , Voice of America’s (VOA) Nana Sajaia interviewed Washington-based Damon Wilson, Executive Vice-President of US Atlantic Council. […]
Nino Burjanadze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian opposition politician Nino Burjanadze expressed admiration for the Russian president in a new interview with German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle. “He brought Russia from its knees to its feet. You look at Russia, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Authorities in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock have decided to dismantle a memorial stone dedicated to victims in separatist-held Sohumi during the 1992-93 Abkhazian war. The problem was that the memorial not only commemorated […]
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal meets with PM Irakli Garibashvili in Tbilisi, 2015. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One member the Saudi royal family who was arrested on Saturday night holds a title of honorary citizen of Georgia. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was arrested along with 16 other princes, four ministers and tens of other former or current high ranking officials. […]
(cominf.org) TBILISI, DFWatch–Breakaway South Ossetia plans to charge customs tax for goods to the region’s lower east corner, to the detriment of the Georgians living there who depend on the trade. A customs point will be opened at the Razdakhan checkpoint near Akhalgori, […]
PM Kvirikashvili’s initiative to protect Abkhaz language was met with a cold shoulder by the separatists in Sokhumi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An initiative by the prime minister of Georgia to protect the Abkhaz language has been rejected by Abkhazia’s de facto authorities as ‘Georgian populism’, ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘cynicism’. […]
(Photo by Dominik K. Cagara.) GALI, DFWatch–Georgian hazelnut farmer in Abkhazia canceled this year’s harvest after de facto authorities failed to hand out vital pesticide to battle a bug. The bug has already ravaged farms in Western Georgia but the damage is even worse in the breakaway region […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Six far right activists were arrested Tuesday night at the office of the Georgian Football Federation’s (GFF) in Tbilisi, as they protested the wearing of a rainbow colored LGBT armband by one of the national team members. The right wing nationalists demand that the federation […]
(Abkhazinform.com) TBILISI, DFWatch–A campaign to demand action against drug addiction brought a large crowd out in the streets of Sokhumi on Thursday, under the slogan “Abkhazia without Drugs”. The people who had gathered on Sergey Bagapsh […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The will of the Georgian people was expressed in the local elections, but it is questionable whether a total win by one political party will be beneficial for the country, President Giorgi Margvelashvili said in his first comments on the local elections, which were held on Saturday. […]
Dimitri Medoev (center) meets with members of Italy’s “Northern League”, Eliseo Bertolasi and Palmarino Zoccatelli. (South Ossetia foreign ministry.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian breakaway region claims it opened an official representation in Catalonia during a visit by its unofficial foreign minister. Georgia rejects the claim and says the visit was purely private in nature. […]
Former professional football player Kakha Kaladze has been elected mayor of Tbilisi, representing the ruling party Georgian Dream. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former AC Milan football player and Georgia’s current vice Prime Minister Kakha Kaladze has won a decisive victory in the election for Tbilisi mayor with 54 percent of the votes, according to an exit poll at 6pm. The exit polls was carried out by Edison Media Research. […]
The Georgian school in the village Tagiloni, 9 km from Gali, which was closed recently. (DFWatch.) GALI, DFWatch–Breakaway authorities in Abkhazia have closed a public school in the region’s southern district which has a predominantly ethnic Georgian population. De facto authorities told school principals in Gali on Wednesday that the school in Tagiloni, a the village near Gali, […]
People gathered outside the hospical in Marneuli, where the wounded Georgian Dream members were being treated. (1tv.ge.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A gunman opened fire at a local office of Georgia’s ruling party Thursday night, wounding four people, two days before nationwide local elections that will gage the government’s hold on power. The attack, which wounded a candidate for Georgian Dream, […]
Anatoly Bibilov, de facto president of South Ossetia. AKHALGORI, DFWatch–As eight Georgian schools in Akhalgori, South Ossetia have fully switched to Russian as the language of instruction, teachers find it hard to teach and are afraid of losing their jobs. As most pupils don’t know Russian, this may make their families leave Akhalgori and settle […]
We would like to respond to the statements related to the selection of Georgian Public Defender and call on the Parliament of Georgia to ensure civil society participation in the process of selecting the main human rights defender of the country. It is well-known to everyone that according to legislation, a Public Defender may be nominated [...]
According to official statistics 10,7% of the Georgian population – about 399,000 persons – are Muslims. 333,000 of them are ethnic Azerbaijani. Part of them thinks that in accordance to the Muslim tradition, a girl shall wear a hijab over 14. “I want to learn and become a teacher. If I do not study, I know in future I will have hard life. I was not allowed into the school because I am wearing a hijab. I do not know what will happen now. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The regional court in Russia’s Krasnodar region upheld the decision made by the lower court to imprison a popular 67-year-old Circassian civic activist, while his supporters were barred from attending the trial on Monday. […]
Sonya Khubaeva. TBILISI, DFWatch–The supreme court in the breakaway region South Ossetia has ruled that Jehovah’s Witnesses is an extremist organization and banned its activities. When the ruling comes into force in a few days, Jehovah’s Witnesses members will face up to 10 years […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Several thousand supporters of Georgia’s opposition National Movement party demonstrated Sunday outside the home of a former prime minister whom they call an oligarch and accuse of taking over valuable properties. […]
For years democratization is seen as a top down process of constitutional engineering, nation-building, and market reforms. Until the early 2000s, states in former Eastern Europe saw their membership of NATO and the European Union as the final stage of consolidating their democracy. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The city assembly in Tbilisi, the Sakrebulo, on Tuesday approved the handover of two land lots to former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili for the symbolic price of one Georgian lari. While the vote went ahead, a ruckus of shouting and pushing took place outside, […]
Khayal Azizov Ethnic Azerbaijani people make up 6.3% of the Georgian population that is 233,000 persons. It is the biggest ethnic minority community in the country though their voice is least heard here. […]
Abkhazians hold a rally in solidarity with Ruslan Gvashev in Sokhumi. (Anaid Gogoryan/RFE/RL.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, Circassians, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Kabardians and Shapsughs continue to protest against the persecution of a 67-year-old activist regarded as a national hero and the most prominent civil rights worker. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A Council of Europe official resigned on Monday after a controversial visit to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. Pedro Agramunt announced his resignation as president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in a letter on Monday. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Hungarian low-cost airline which is already very popular in Georgia may see its popularity rise to new heights after it announced new routes to Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Prague. “We are truly delighted to announce that starting […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The de facto authorities in Abkhazia have asked the United Nation’s agency for cultural heritage, UNESCO, help protect historic buildings within territory they control. In a video published a few days ago, Georgia is accused of having a “destructive” policy […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia detained six opposition activists on Monday, as supporters of the National Movement rallied outside Tbilisi City Hall to demand an immediate halt in the handover of two prime land plots to a company owned […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Ethnic Armenians clashed with police in a village in the south of Georgia on Saturday after locals attempted to place a religious stone in the yard of Kumurdo temple. The tense situation in the village Kumurdo calmed down on Sunday but the brief street […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Two candidates for Tbilisi mayor were among opposition politicians and activists who were forcibly dragged out of the city council on Friday before a proposal was approved that will hand over two land plots to a company owned by former PM Bidzina Ivanishvili. […]
Ethnic Azerbaijani people make up 6.3% of the Georgian population, or 233,000 persons. It is the biggest ethnic minority community in the country, though their voice is least heard here. The main reason is that ethnic Azerbaijani people do not trust the Government of Georgia. Moreover, they are afraid of the government. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian parliament almost unanimously adopted a new constitution on Tuesday as opposition factions walked out and said the day will mark the establishment of one-party rule in the country. […]
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Giorgi Margvelashvili has turned down a request by the ruling party to call an unscheduled session of parliament in order to adopt the new Constitution, citing the threat of one-party rule. “The president will not convene an extraordinary session,” […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Venice Commission draws an overall positive conclusion about Georgia’s latest constitutional reform in an assessment published Friday, but the Council of Europe experts are still concerned about the lack of consensus among the country’s largest political parties. […]
Layla Mustafayeva. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The exiled wife of jailed Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli says she fears there may be a new wave of harassment against herself and other critics of the regime of Ilham Aliyev. Mukhtarli was abducted in downtown Tbilisi on May 31 and taken across the border […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–American film director David Lynch is coming to Georgia in November to launch a film festival and open a new institute of cinematography named after him. The iconic director, who is known for the films Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, […]
Nino Bolkvadze. TBILISI, DFWatch–For the first time, an openly lesbian woman will run for political office in Georgia. Nino Bolkvadze, a professional lawyer, was nominated Friday by the Republican Party to compete for a seat in the Tbilisi city council, the Sakrebulo, this October. […]
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Saakashvili is Georgia’s ‘very sad past’ says Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili while commenting recent developments in Ukraine. “Mikheil Saakashvili is the political past of our country, a very sad past, and it is very unfortunate, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–After trying for several hours, Mikheil Saakashvili finally managed to get into Ukraine Sunday evening, with the help of his supporters. Currently he is in Lviv and reportedly plans to travel to Kiev. “I don’t plan to oust anyone, I plan only to legally defend my interests,” […]
Mikheil Saakashvili addressing the media before boarding the train. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili broke through the border to Ukraine on Sunday, aided by a crowd of supporters. At first, the train he was riding from Poland, bound for the Ukrainian city of Lviv, was held at the border in Przemysl, […]
Mikheil Saakashvili made the pledge during a webcast from the Polish capital in mid August 2017. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has repeated a pledge made three weeks ago to return to Ukraine on September 10, despite the risk of being detained and extradited to Georgia where he may face criminal charges and possible imprisonment. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A Tbilisi court on Tuesday sentenced a high ranking cleric to nine years in prison for trying to kill the patriarch’s personal secretary with poison. The case has sent shock waves through Georgian society and revealed divisions within one […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The head of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio is disappointed by the lack of progress on Georgia’s constitutional reform. The commission president took to Twitter on Monday to react to a lack of agreement between […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Fifty-two foreign tourists got lost in Georgia in the period from June 1 to August 17, according to figures published Friday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and reported by Interpressnews. Everyone was rescued safe and sound except two German nationals, […]
(Palitra TV.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Just days after a massive wildfire was contained inside one of Georgia’s national parks, another one has flared up in another area of the same park. This time, it’s the resort area of Abastumani which has been hit by forest fire. The affected site is not far from […]
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili. (SKNews.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–A wildfire which destroyed over 100 hectares of endemic forest in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park ‘has almost been extinguished’, the Georgian prime minister said Friday evening. “In the evening, I personally visited all critical locations with ministers. […]
(SKNews.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–A wildland fire is still raging across a large nature park and key tourist destination in central Georgia, but authorities believe the main pockets will be contained by Friday unless their efforts are made difficult by strong wind. “We currently don’t have new […]
(1tv.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–A massive wildfire was raging on Monday in Borjomi, a forested nature park and important tourist destination in Georgia. The fire started Sunday in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park but intensified Monday evening when it spread to over 6 hectares in the hills above […]
William Courtney (rand.org) William Courtney, former US Ambassador to Georgia told Voice of America’s Anna Kalandadze that “President Putin’s August 8 visit underlined Moscow’s apparent determination to retain control of Abkhazia despite the costs to Russia’s international reputation. But the Kremlin […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian-born former governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili announced Wednesday the time and date of his return to Ukraine despite being stripped of that country’s citizenship. Saakashvili, who recently launched […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A prank by two Russian pro-Kremlin bloggers has led to calls for the resignation of Georgia’s interior minister for rejecting a fake offer by Ukraine to extradite former President Mikheil Saakashvili. A voice sounding like Georgia’s minister of internal affairs […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia plans to ban unhealthy food in public schools, particularly sugary beverages and salty products, in an effort to promote healthier lifestyle among school children. “When children come to school in September they will see a different buffet,” Alexandre Jejelava, […]
(imedinews.ge) A massive fire spread on the slopes of Mtatsminda, a mountain overlooking Tbilisi on Tuesday late evening. […]
(GEM Fest/Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia have brought in stricter anti-drug measures at a youth festival after a 22 year old woman tragically died. The female bank employee became ill Friday after allegedly ingesting the drug ‘bio’. She was rushed to hospital but died 8 hours later. […]
Veruli Bebiashvili, mother of the deceased. (Palitra TV.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian soldier has died in Afghanistan while out on patrol near Bagram Airbase, 60km north of Kabul. Lance sergeant Mdinari Bebiashvili (25) was killed as two suicide bombers attacked his convoy Thursday evening. The platoon that was hit consisted […]
US Vice President Mike Pence arrived at Tbilisi airport Monday evening, accompanied by his wife Karen. (Photo published by the US Embassy in Tbilisi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Tbilisi on Monday amid a US-led military exercise, which for a moment brought a US military convoy within close proximity of Russian troops stationed in the breakaway region South Ossetia. […]
Daniel Kochis (Heritage Foundation) Voice of America’s Anna Kalandadze spoke to Daniel Kochis, a Europe policy specialist in the Margaret Thatcher’s Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, a US Conservative think tank, ahead of US Vice President’s visit to Tbilisi. […]
Mikheil Saakashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s former president, who was recently stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, vowed Saturday to return to Kyiv and oust President Poroshenko, his one-time ally. Mikheil Saakashvili was speaking to Georgian TV station Rustavi 2 from […]
Otar Kakhidze appeared with a pistol in his belt during a recent rally against extremism. TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian opposition member of parliament was fined 200 USD on Wednesday for demonstratively wearing a pistol in his belt during a rally against far right extremists. Otar Kakhidze, a lawyer who represents European Georgia in the national assembly, […]
Mikheil Saakashvili in November, 2016. TBILISI, DFWatch–Ukraine has stripped former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili of his citizenship, shortly after a visit to Georgia by Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko. A Ukrainian member of parliament first reported it on Facebook, and the information […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Plastic bottles, eggs, brooms and other objects were hurled at people marching through the center of Tbilisi Sunday evening to protest against what they call ‘Russian fascism in Georgia’. The march was organized by political party European Georgia, […]
Rustavi 2 director Nika Gvaramia. TBILISI, DFWatch–The director of Georgia’s biggest opposition TV company claims the government is using tax laws to to get it off air ahead of the local elections in October. “TV company Rustavi 2 is again under threat […] The state is seemingly preparing for a decisive blow […]
Aleko Elisashvili, the popular independent candidate for Tbilisi mayor, vows to halt an ongoing construction boom that is rapidly changing the old city’s aesthetic looks. TBILISI, DFWatch–The independent candidate for Tbilisi mayor Aleko Elisashvili vows to suspend all construction projects in Tbilisi until there have been carried out comprehensive studies into all the schemes to see whether they are compatible with the urban fabric of the Georgian capital. […]
John Bass at the opening of the Batumi Center for Civic Engagement April 5, 2012. He was – U.S. Ambassador to Georgia at the time. (Archil Talakvadze/Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–US President Donald Trump has nominated former Ambassador to Georgia John Bass as new ambassador to Afghanistan. Bass currently serves as the US ambassador to Turkey. From 2009 to 2012, he served as ambassador to Georgia. He was nominated […]
Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili said the two officials are suspended to eliminate all suspicion. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The government in Georgia has suspended two high ranking officials to ensure the impartiality of an investigation into the alleged abduction of an Azerbaijani investigative journalist. The decision comes after immense pressure from human rights groups, […]
Rebecca Harms. (Rustavi 2.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The head of the Greens faction in the EU parliament calls on Georgia not to extradite a school manager to Turkey. “To be a teacher is not a crime,” said Rebecca Harms, a German politician who is current head of the Greens-European Free Alliance in the EU parliament. […]
Organizers of the rally, including Sandro Bregadze (right), hold an icon of King Davit IV Aghmashenebeli. (Facebook/Nini Ketelauri.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Nationalist groups in Georgia mobilized supporters Friday for an anti-immigration rally in the center of Tbilisi. Activists carrying flags and slogans for nationalist causes demanded ‘illegal’ immigrants kicked out of the country and called on authorities to bring […]
The rally is being organized by Sandro Bregadze. TBILISI, DFWatch–Nationalists in Georgia plan an anti-immigration rally in the center of Tbilisi Friday evening. The rally, which will take place on Aghmashenebeli Avenue at 8pm, will take aim at illegal immigration, especially from Muslim countries. One of their demands is to close down […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Constitutional Court has overturned a ban on donation of blood by men who have had sex with other men. The lawsuit to lift the ban was filed by LGBT rights activists Gocha Gabodze and Levan Berianidze. The ban on donating blood for ‘a man who has had a sexual […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A detained Gülen school official is asking for asylum in Georgia in order to avoid extradition to Turkey, where he may face brutal and inhumane treatment, according to his lawyers. Georgia detained Mustafa Emre Cabuk in May. He is one of the managers of Demirel […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Five foreign tourists were rescued by helicopter from a mountain plateau in the main Caucasus range Saturday after being isolated by a flooded stream. Personnel from the Emergency Management Agency used helicopters belonging to the border […]
The de facto presidents of Georgia’s two breakaway territories: Raul Khajimba (Abkhazia) (left) and Anatoly Bibilov (South Ossetia). (Photo published by the office of Abkhazia’s de facto president.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The separatists in one of Georgia’s two breakaway regions denied a report in Russian media that their leader was injured in a car crash Saturday while visiting another separatist region. Anatoly Bibilov, the de facto president of the tiny enclave South Ossetia, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–An Indian businessman was refused entry to Georgia for the second time on Wednesday, after a similar incident two days earlier. A lawyer for Akbar Khan Qureshi said the young Indian entrepreneur again was turned away in the border control at Tbilisi airport […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Two men were rescued by a police helicopter in Western Georgia on Wednesday. The two got stuck in the middle of a flooded river near the village Khabume in Samegrelo. Local rescue workers were unable to bring the two men out of the river Khobistskali, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A fire tore through Georgia’s largest outdoors market Sunday evening, leaving at least four people hospitalized, including one firefighter, and devastating up to 2,500 square meters of commercial space, officials said. The fire at Eliava bazaar in Tbilisi […]
PACE President Pedro Agramunt. (Council of Europe.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will discuss a proposal to dismiss its chairperson in early October after a motion was tabled on Friday. The motion to dismiss PACE President Pedro Agramunt was backed by 158 out of the 636 member […]
Gianni Buquicchio. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A Council of Europe official is in despair over the way Georgian leaders have handled the drafting of a new constitution, calling the debacle a ‘crisis’. “I’m disappointed and become more and more disappointed for every hour,” head of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio […]
President Giorgi Margvelashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgians will go to the polls to elect new mayors and local governments in the end of October, President Giorgi Margvelashvili announced on Tuesday. The local elections will be held in the ‘end the third week of October’, the president said, […]
Zaal Udumashvili launched his bid for the mayor post on Monday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s main opposition party is hoping that a popular news anchor will bring it back to power in the politically important position of Tbilisi mayor. The nomination of Zaal Udumashvili, host of the main news program on Georgia’s largest TV channel Rustavi 2, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–President Giorgi Margvelashvili rejects a draft new Constitution presented by the ruling GD government because it is not based on a consensus. “The entire Georgian society believes we need a consensus document, but Georgian Dream […]
Kamran Mahmudov (right) pictured next to his Azerbaijani colleague Afgan Mukhtarli, whose abduction in Tbilisi in May caused a public outcry in Georgia. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A journalist at Radio Free Europe’s now closed office in Azerbaijan was detained on Thursday and told that he cannot leave the country. Kamran Mahmudov, a former producer for RFE/RL, was detained at the border on the way into Georgia and taken to the […]
Helmut Kohl (wikiwand.com) Helmut Kohl, in hand with Edward Shevardnadze, Michael Gorbachev, and George H.W. Bush, convinced Europe to rise to the occasion and believe that history can progress, that unity and national sovereignty can go hand-in-hand, and that conflict is not inevitable when Germany is united. […]
Speaker of Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party will defer until 2024 to fulfill one of its main promises: to overhaul an election system that has favored the incumbent force for decades. The system of single-mandate districts, so-called majoritarians, was supposed to have been phased out […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian parliament decided Friday to declare a temporary ban on the sale of agricultural lands to aliens until a constitutional ban comes into force. 87 MPs voted in favor of the amendment to the Law on Ownership of Agricultural Land, amid fierce pressure […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The EU Parliament calls on Georgia to thoroughly investigate the disappearance of an Azerbaijani investigative journalist in the center of Tbilisi two weeks ago. MEPs further urge Baku to immediately release Afgan Mukhtarli and drop all charges. […]
Mishka Mgaloblishvili. (Rustavi 2.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Appeals Court in Georgia released on bail two rappers whose controversial arrest on drug charges may have hastened a review of the drug policy. The court released the two on bail Monday after their arrest June 10 for possession of between 1.5 and 2.3 grams […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s prime minister promised to soften the country’s drug policy Saturday evening as a large crowd gathered in the capital Tbilisi in support of two detained rappers who claim drugs were planted on them by police as revenge for a music video. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Strong rain with hail hit Tbilisi and some other parts of Georgia on Saturday, causing damage to cars, infrastructure and crops. As some Tbilisians feared a repeat of the tragic flooding in 2015, the police blocked Vake-Saburtalo Road in Tbilisi following advice […]
Elman Nasirov. TBILISI, DFWatch–A member of Azerbaijan’s parliament claims Georgian and Azerbaijani intelligence agencies collaborated on abducting a journalist in Tbilisi and send him back to Baku to face jail. Elman Nasirov, a member of Azerbaijan’s national assembly Mili Meclis, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The arrest of two rappers for drug crime in Georgia on Friday adds fuel to criticism against the country’s law enforcement agencies, which are already under fire for suspected involvement in the mysterious abduction out of the country of an Azerbaijani journalist eleven days ago. […]
Nika Gvaramia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Rustavi 2 director general Nika Gvaramia resigns. Gvaramia’s resignation was reported yesterday by several Georgian media outlets and confirmed Friday morning by one of the TV company’s editors who spoke to DFWatch on condition of anonymity. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party has decided to ban the sale of agricultural land to foreigners by adding a clause to the Constitution. PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced Thursday that a passage will be added to the Constitution to ban the sale of land […]
WBO world middleweight champion Avtandil Kurtsidze. TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian world boxing champion has been arrested in the United States along with a martial arts practicioner, also from Georgia, for alleged ties to a Russian crime syndicate. Avtandil Khurtsidze, who currently holds a World Boxing Organization middleweight title, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 rattled Georgia late Wednesday evening with only minor damage reported in one village. The quake occurred at about 10.30pm with the epicenter near Dedoplistskaro in Kakheti, 100km east of Tbilisi, […]
Zaal Udumashvili speaking at a demonstration in Tbilisi in February, 2017. (Rustavi 2.) Independent candidate Aleksandre Elisashvili may also have a chance. (DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A news anchor on Georgia’s biggest private television channel has confirmed that he may run for mayor of Tbilisi as a candidate for the biggest opposition party UNM. The entry of Zaal Udumashvili, host of the evening news on Rustavi 2, […]
(Liberali.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian journalists covered their heads with plastic sacks during a meeting of the parliament’s human rights committee on Tuesday to protest the abduction of an Azerbaijani investigative journalist in Tbilisi. But the committee did not discuss […]
Kakhi Kaladze. (Ministry of Energy.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The ruling party in Georgia is expected to name Energy Minister Kakhi Kaladze as its candidate for new Tbilisi mayor, to replace the incumbent Davit Narmania. Georgian Dream MPs and members of government met on Sunday behind closed […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s president and prime minister have expressed their condolences to the families of victims of the recent London terror attack, which left seven dead and over 48 injured. “I am deeply outraged over the brutal terrorist incidents in #London. […]
Brzezinski at the Munich Security Conference, 2014. (www.securityconference.de) To anyone close enough to speak with him in first name terms, he was Zbig. A typical American habit of kerbingconsonant-rich names that echo history to sound short, familiar, and approachable. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s head of government Thursday denied that his country’s authorities had been involved when a journalist was abducted three days earlier in Tbilisi and delivered into the hands of Azerbaijani police for criminal prosecution. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Activists rallied in Tbilisi on Wednesday against the apparent abduction and return to Azerbaijan of an investigative journalist who had criticized the Aliyev regime. Journalists and rights activists rallied outside the government office […]
Afgan Mukhtali TBILISI, DFWatch–An investigative journalist who fled Azerbaijan and sought asylum in neighboring Georgia was abducted by unknown men in Tbilisi on Monday and taken across the border to his home country. Journalist Afgan Mukhtali is now being held in Baku, […]
Edisher Karchava. (ambebi.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–A lawyer for the Georgian church claimed on Monday that there is a plot to assassinate the head of the church, involving high-level clerics. One of the clerics implicated in the attempt on Patriarch’s life is Metropolitan Petre Tsaava, according to […]
Elene Khoshtaria was nominated by European Georgia as candidate for Tbilisi mayor. (Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s second largest opposition party named a woman as its candidate for Tbilisi Mayor on Saturday. The European Dream party congress nominated Elene Khoshtaria (37) as mayoral candidate as political parties are gearing up for the local elections. […]
Luke Coffey To assess the visit of NATO Parliamentary assembly to Tbilisi, Georgia, discuss future of Transatlantic relations and Pres. Trump’s visit to Europe Voice of America’s Anna Kalandadze spoke to Luke Coffey, Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia has detained a manager of a private school in what appears to be a case of pressure exerted by Turkey on Georgian authorities to crack down on institutions associated with the exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen. Mustafa Emre Cabuk, quality manager […]
Lasha Tordia (far left) apparently brandishing a pistol at PAM Club last December. TBILISI, DFWatch–A new video of a public auditor pointing a pistol in a bar last December further undermined his claim that a recent fight with an ex-prosecutor was corruption related. The video surfaced on the Internet on Wednesday, and shows state auditor Lasha Tordia […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a surveillance video and witness testimony on Monday which appeared to undermine claims by the country’s top public auditor that a recent bar fight was connected to a corruption probe. But the low resolution […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Prosecutors in Georgia have dropped a case against the brother of a judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) who said the investigation was connected to her work. None Tsotsoria (center) is a judge currently serving at the European Court of Human Rights. The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia (POG) called off the probe […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A high profile trial of a Georgian priest accused of planning to murder the patriarch’s personal secretary got off to a dramatic start Friday as the defendant left the courtroom in protest and asked his lawyers to do the same. This was the first hearing […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The screening of a gay pride film in a Tbilisi park had to be canceled Friday evening after someone called in a bomb threat. LGBT people, rights activists and others, mainly youth, had gathered in Mziuri Park for a screening of the British historical comedy […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) suspects that a police raid against her brother’s apartment was connected to her work. “I have reason to believe that [the police raid] is related to my work at the European Court of Human Rights. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Separatist authorities in Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia signed an agreement with Russia on Thursday, establishing a joint Russian-Abkhaz coordination center in Sokhumi to combat organized crime and other serious crimes. The joint […]
Nona Tsotsoria (center) at a meeting with Supreme Court judges in Latvia. (Photo published by the Latvian government.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition in Georgia claims the police raided the flat of a judge’s brother to put pressure on the judge after an unfavorable decision in the ECHR. Police carried out a raid Thursday night in the flat of brother of a judge who currently represents Georgia […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A public meeting in Tbilisi on Monday to discuss a set of constitutional amendments was interrupted by two different groups of protesters. The head of the organizing committee now says they will extend the hearing process with a number of extra […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Four years after a mob of thousands of people violently attacked them, Georgia’s LGBT community needed strict security to observe The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) on Wednesday. Several […]
Herbert Salber (left). (Photo published by South Ossetia’s de facto president.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A European Union official congratulating the leader of a Russian-backed breakaway republic on winning the election has caused a diplomatic scandal in Tbilisi. Herbert Salber, a German diplomat who is the EU’s special representative to South Caucasus […]
Sandro Girgvliani was 28 years old when he was murdered in January, 2006. Irakli Okruashvili. (GPB.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A former minister claimed Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili protected several high ranking officials from prosecution as the high-profile trial about the murder of a young bank employee in Georgia eleven years ago continued in Tbilisi on Monday. […]
Otar Partskhaladze. (Rustavi 2.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The head of Georgia’s state audit office refused to be questioned by police on Monday, after alleging that a former chief prosecutor attacked him at a bar Friday night. Lasha Tordia excused himself on the grounds of his poor health condition after Friday’s incident […]
“Georgia is not a post-Soviet state. It is a European state […] So, looking at a free trade agreement with the U.S. is kind of a maturing of the relationship.” To assess the recent visit of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to the U.S., Voice of America’s (VOA) Anna Kalandadze interviewed British diplomat and a political observer Alexandra Hall Hall. […]
Lasha Tordia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The head of Georgia’s State Audit Office claims an investigation into a land plot scheme was the reason he was physically assaulted by a former chief prosecutor and his associates at a bar in Tbilisi Friday night. General Auditor Lasha Tordia (37) said he was attacked […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The city hall in Georgia’s second largest city Batumi has rejected an application for permission to build a second mosque in the 150,000 strong city. In the largely Muslim city there has been a several decades long conflict about whether to allow a second mosque. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Six former guards at the notorious Penitentiary No 8 in Tbilisi have been detained for alleged torture of prisoners during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili. Legal proceedings have been launched against former Head of Legal Regimen of the same facility, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A rain-swelled river on Thursday cut off the only road to five villages in the northern part of Georgia, leaving the inhabitants isolated from the rest of the world. The river Vedura swelled after several days of hard rain in the Upper Svaneti region. […]
In this photo from 2006, Yuri Luzhkov (right) is seen in Abkhazia with Abkhaz and Russian politicians. (Alexander Popov/TASS.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia has placed the former mayor of Moscow on its ‘black list’ of people barred from entering the country. Yuri Luzhkov was briefly in Georgia last weekend and the opposition called for his prosecution for violating a 2008 law. When Luzhkov’s tourist trip became […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Three people were detained in Tbilisi on Tuesday during a protest in response to a mining accident that took four lives earlier the same day. The protesters from student group Auditorium #115 and trade union activists gathered in front of the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Two members of the notorious Russian motorcycle gang Night Wolves turned up in Tbilisi’s Vake Park on Tuesday for the May 9 commemoration of victory over Nazism in World War II, despite the gang’s members being banned from entering Georgia. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–An otherwise uneventful tourist visit to Georgia by the former mayor of Moscow was interrupted by opposition calls for him to be ‘punished’. Word spread of Yuri Luzhkov’s visit to Georgia after priest Serafim Bit-Kharibi posted photos […]
Georgia needs a parliament that is more pluralistic, not less. Rather than locking in Georgia’s democratic gains, the draft constitution appears likely to benefit Georgian Dream, writes Joseph Larsen, analyst at Georgian Institute of Politics. The Georgian Dream (GD) […]
Tamar Chugoshvili is Parliament’s First Deputy Chairperson. In 2010-2012 she was the Chairperson Georgia’s of Young Lawyers’ Association. In total, 33 amendments have been made to the Constitution of Georgia, adopted in 1995, however, only two rounds of these amendments have been of fundamental importance […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A Georgian priest accused of planning to poison an adviser to the patriarch is to remain in pre-trial detention. That was decided at a hearing in the Tbilisi City Court on Friday. The judge rejected all the around a dozen pleas by arch priest […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Nearly 50 Russian pro-Kremlin bikers were stopped at the border on Wednesday as they were trying to enter Georgia in connection with an annual tour to commemorate the end of World War II. The bikers were not given an explanation for why they were denied entry, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian opposition groups said Monday that the country’s democratic development is being reversed unless a set of constitutional amendments is stopped. The groups demand a referendum about the changes. In a declaration, the opposition listed eight […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Russian biker gang Night Wolves plans to visit Georgia to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the end of World War II. The gang is known for its support of the Kremlin and leader Alexander Zaldostanov (“the Surgeon”) has appeared at many […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A priest is being put on trial in Georgia for planning to use poison to murder a close adviser to Patriarch Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church. As the case files were handed over to the court on Thursday, the Prosecutor General’s Office wrote in a statement that […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A mother of four was found strangled in Tbilisi on Tuesday. Police suspect her ex-husband who was arrested soon after. Miranda Vacheishvili (40) was apparently strangled with a lead wire. She was living in an uptown district of the capital, and had complained […]
TBILISi, DFWatch–The number of cars in Georgia grew 8 percent in 2016, continuing a trend of steady expansion of the nation’s auto park of mostly older vehicles. The growth in 2016 was to 1,125, which is 8 percent, with German carmakers retaining their leading positions. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A pregnant woman was among the five who were killed in a horrendous road accident along a highway in western Georgia on Sunday. The accident happened at night, along a highway near Kutaisi in the west of the country. First two cars collided head-on, […]
A meeting of the Constitutional Commission. In the center Irakli Kobakhidze, parliament’s speaker, who was commission chair. (Pia.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is moving closer to one-party rule, opposition groups warn, as a new round of constitutional amendments was approved by a commission on Saturday. Georgians are no strangers to changing their Constitution, but the latest set of amendments […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Littering in the Georgian capital may now cost you a fine of 80 laris (USD 33). This includes dropping cigarette butts. 14 people were fined as the new regulation began being enforced on Thursday. 13 of them were fined for dropping cigarette butts in the streets. […]
(1tv.ge.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A member of the Georgian parliament was lightly injured on Wednesday, after a verbal and physical confrontation that led to an ashtray being hurled at his face. Otar Kakhidze was accidentally hit by an ashtray during a confrontation […]
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif began a two day visit to Georgia on Monday. Zarif will meet with his Georgian counterpart as well as the president, the prime minister and the minister of economy and sustainable development. […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–No-one was injured when a passenger jet belonging to Georgian Airways went past the end of the runway at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Sunday after landing. The Boeing-737 had just arrived from Tbilisi with 106 passengers and six crew members on board. […]
Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov. (Kremlin.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit the Georgian breakaway region Abkhazia next week to open a new Russian embassy and meet with the local leadership. Lavrov’s working visit will start April 18 with the official opening of a new Russian embassy […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A priest awaiting trial for murder is suing Georgia at the European Court of Human Rights, claiming the country is depriving him of a fair trial. Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze is accused of planning to poison a member of the Georgian patriarch’s inner circle. […]
Georgian Sukhoi SU-25 “Frogfoot”. (Marcus Fülber/Wikimedia.) Unmanned attack helicopter produced by Delta. (DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is getting rid of its Soviet era Su-25 attack aircraft, and will instead rely on military helicopters and drones, the country’s defense minister said. Su-25 is a severely outdated aircraft which requires spare parts that are produced in Russia, […]
Anatoly Bibilov, a veteran of the 2008 war, has claimed victory in the election for new de facto leader of South Ossetia, a small Russian-backed breakaway region of Georgia. TBILISI, DFWatch–South Ossetia’s de facto authorities have declared the election for a new leader of the separatist region valid. According to latest news, assembly speaker Anatoly Bibilov is in the lead. He has already declared victory, but it is still not known whether he will get more than 50 percent, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili on Friday slammed the governing GD party for dragging its feet on the way to further democratic reforms and claimed there is a ‘crisis’ in the justice system. The president launched the broadside during […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia will introduce a blanket ban on smoking indoors, after parliament approved a bill proposed in February. The ban covers smoking in buildings and includes a tough package of fines to ensure that it is followed, prescribing fines of up to 5,000 lari (over USD 2,000). […]
(Interpressnews.) (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A false bomb alert caused a bridge close to a restaurant district in Tbilisi to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon. Passers-by noticed a suspicious suitcase on the sidewalk of Metekhi Bridge at around 6pm. Police sealed off the tourist destination, […]
(Facebook/Eliso Kiladze.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Unknown assailants brutally beat a former interior ministry official in Tbilisi Monday morning. The two masked men assaulted Gela Khvedelidze, a former deputy interior minister, close to his home in the center of Tbilisi, as he was leaving his flat. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s embattled opposition TV company Rustavi 2 has lost control over its web domain and has had to switch to a different address to stay online. In a statement posted online on its new address, Rustavi 2 blamed former owner David Dvali […]
Rusudan Kervalishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A former vice speaker of parliament in Georgia has been sentenced to four years in prison. Rusudan Kervalishvili (62), who served as vice speaker of parliament in 2008-2012 representing the National Movement, was detained inside the courtroom after the verdict. […]
Thousands of Orthodox Christians attacked gay rights activists in Tbilisi on May 17, 2013. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia passed a law against discrimination three years ago, and in return the European Union gave its citizens visa-free travel to Europe. But the local human rights watchdog now says the anti-discrimination law is not being fully implemented. […]
Open Society Foundations criticizes the Hungarian government and accuses it of trying to silence academic freedom by proposing a law against internationally funded NGOs, which will make it ‘impossible’ for the Central European University in Budapest to operate. […]
Seven of Taso Tsatiashvili’s daughers were married before they turned 18. (DFWatch.) IORMUGHANLO, DFWatch–Although Georgia has brought in a more restrictive marriage law, the problems of child marriage and arranged engagements persist, especially in areas with a minority population. A study carried out by the United Nations Population […]
Statement of Civil Society and Media organizations against alleged revocation of the status from the-now seven self-governing cities in Georgia […]
Veteran energy ministry official Igor Kiriushin (59) is accused of embezzlement of over 2 billion hryvnia. (Kievgrad.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An ally of the exiled former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich has been detained in Tbilisi by Interpol on suspicion of corruption. Igor Kiriushin (59), a veteran official at the Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy, was detained at Tbilisi airport on Saturday […]
Tatia Dolidze is Georgia’s Youth Representative to the United Nations. As the EU is experiencing the greatest identity crisis in its 60 years of existence, it is important to remember that European integration is a history of crises and compromises. The current crisis is a good chance for the EU to address its democratic deficit, […]
From left to right: PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Lasha Abashidze. (Interpressnews.) (Interpressnews.) (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–There were celebrations in the capital Tbilisi on Monday as Georgian nationals may travel without a visa to Europe’s vast borderless Schengen area from March 28. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili was among government officials who attended a two […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The owners of Georgia’s biggest opposition TV station have offered to hand over a controlling stake in the company to its staff. The brothers Giorgi and Levan Karamanishvili published an open letter to the staff of Rustavi 2 staff on Friday, offering them shares in the embattled TV company. […]
Among the protestere was Ana Margvelashvili, daughter of the president of Georgia. (Rustavi 2.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The daughter of the president of Georgia claims police framed her friend because he has been involved in political work for the president. It used to be an oft-heard story during the Saakashvili presidency: regime critics who are set up by police [...]
(Ministry of Internal Affairs.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An 11 year old girl was killed in a car crash on the outskirts of Tbilisi on Tuesday. The tragic accident occurred in the morning hours Tuesday on Aghmashenebeli Lane on the northern outskirts of the city. The car, presumably a BMW, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Strong wind hit Tbilisi Monday evening, uprooting tens of trees and damaging houses and street signs. Monday night at 10pm, the wind reached a speed of up to 32 meters per second in the capital. This qualifies as a hurricane, […]
(DF Watch) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili on Monday vetoed a surveillance bill which civil society groups claim does not go far enough in reining in the powers of the secret police. Also opposition parties have criticized the bill. They suspect that it will give […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police detained eight more people on criminal charges on Saturday as the blame game continues for last weekend’s violent riot in Batumi. Altogether, the number of detainees has now reached 100, all of them men, the local newspaper Batumelebi reports. […]
A screenshot from Imedi TV showing the tracks where the victim skied along with a group of tourists near Gudauri. TBILISI, DFWatch–A Hungarian tourist died in an avalanche in Georgia on Friday while skiing near Gudauri, a mountain resort north of Tbilisi. Authorities did not identity the victim beyond describing him as a man aged around 40. The accident occurred when a group of tourists […]
(National Police Corps of Spain.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Spanish police have arrested dozens of Georgian nationals suspected of home burglaries in an elaborate operation said to be targeting ‘the Georgian mafia’. The police released information on Thursday but operations were carried out earlier, […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia arrested six more people on Thursday who are suspected of having been involved in a riot in the Black Sea city Batumi last weekend that started with a disagreement over a parking fine. The six are expected to appear in court on Friday. […]
Khatia Dekanoidze as head of Ukraine’s national police. TBILISI, DFWatch–Two young men related to government critics were arrested in Tbilisi on Tuesday on drug charges. Their mothers think it was politically motivated. One of the detainees is the son of Khatia Dekanoidze, a justice specialist who introduced Georgian experience with police reforms to Ukraine […]
Georgian court's decision regarding Rustavi 2 looks like 'an attempt to silence opposition voices', US Senator John McCain said to Voice of America's Georgian service. "I am deeply concerned that the Georgian Supreme Court’s decision regarding Rustavi 2 appears to be an attempt to silence opposition voices in the press and curtail the country’s vibrant, pluralistic, [...]
Ambassador Tedo Japaridze is a former Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations in the Parliament of Georgia. Every time someone in Brussels criticizes the Georgian government, a chain reaction begins in Tbilisi. With specs of truth, the opposition starts a fire designed to scorch the reputation of Georgia, while certain media will provide ventilation. It is not long before the whole […]
Clean up work after a riot Saturday night and Sunday morning in Batumi. (Interpressnews.) Those responsible will be strictly punished, Interior Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili warned. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Most who were detained in a riot in Batumi, Georgia have now been released, but the interior minister warned that they will be strictly punished. Seven people are still incarcerated after a court placed them in preliminary administrative detention, […]
From left to right: Batumi Mayor Giorgi Ermakov, PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili and head of the Adjara government Zurab Pataradze in Batumi on Sunday. (Interpressnews). (Batumelebi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The government and the largest opposition party in Georgia are blaming each other for being behind a riot that shook the Black Sea resort city Batumi last night, injuring dozens and leaving the burgeoning tourist destination in disarray. A special unit […]
Sporadic rioting continued into the night in Batumi, a port city on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. (Batumelebi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–“A common incident has been utilized by destructive political forces to escalate the situation,” Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated at an emergency briefing at about 5 am on Sunday appealing the crowd in Batumi to calm down. “Unfortunately, those forces […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Around twenty police and protesters are injured after a riot broke out in Batumi, Georgia, Saturday evening over a disagreement about a parking fine. The riot began after a man refused to accept a fine for parking in the wrong place […]
