TBILISI, DFWatch--At the end of a difficult year with families struggling to get through a pandemic, Georgia’s largest electricity provider announced a price hike that risks causing major discontent. On Monday, the CEO of Energo-Pro Georgia, which in 2016 controlled 62% of the country’s energy distribution, said an increase in electricity tariffs was inevitable. "The existing [...]
Opposition parties holding a joint briefing after the October 31 elections. (On.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch--Facing growing criticism from the West, Georgian Dream seems to soften its strict stance towards the opposition. Although parliament on Wednesday adopted a bill at the first reading that strips all opposition parties of their state funding, GD said it would send the [...]
Rusudan Samushia. (Facebook.) GALI, DFWatch--Classes have been suspended in public schools in Abkhazia as in the rest of Georgia because of the pandemic, and also here in Gali, local teachers try their best to assist students with distance learning. Despite many difficulties, including the interruption of electricity supply, local teachers are still more or less able [...]
GD Executive Secretary Irakli Kobakhidze. TBILISI, DFWatch--After talks between Georgian Dream and the opposition failed to defuse the political crisis, the ruling party in Georgia has started to weigh in with threats of revoking registration for the largest opposition party and stripping others of state funding. On Thursday, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian Dream executive secretary, said [...]
Gali. (DFWatch.) GALI, DFWatch--Under conditions that amount to a blockade, the population of Gali are finding ways of sorting out their daily life problems, such as how to receive pensions when they can’t get to a Georgian bank. In spring, Abkhazia’s separatist authorities closed the only road connecting the Gali district with the rest of Georgia, [...]
First session of newly elected parliament with opposition seats vacant. (Tabula.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia's newly elected parliament opened its first session on Friday with only one party in attendance. All opposition parties are boycotting the parliament despite many rounds of negotiations and efforts by Western diplomats to break the deadlock. Nine parties surpassed the threshold in the [...]
(apsadgil.info) GALI, DFWatch--Georgians living in Gali welcome the opening by separatist authorities of Enguri Bridge for travel in one direction, but demand they also allow passage in the other direction across the bridge that connects Abkhazia with Georgia proper. Although Sukhumi does not allow the passage from Gali to Zugdidi, locals think that if the Georgian [...]
The textile which Bebua is accused of burning (also shown in the video below) was part of decoration in the colours of Abkhaz flag. TBILISI, DFWatch--A resident of Gali who is accused by the breakaway authorities of Abkhazia of vandalism and dishonoring the flag, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison. The Georgian side protests [...]
Speaker of Parliament Archil Talakvadze exiting the meeting at the US diplomat’s residence. (1tv.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch--The third round of negotiations between the Georgian government and opposition ended with minor progress on Monday. The talks were mediated by Western diplomats and aimed at ending the boycott of the newly elected parliament. Nine parties overcame the 1% threshold [...]
CoE Committee of Ministers sitting in Strasbourg, France. TBILISI, DFWatch--The Council of Europe (CoE) has urged Russia to not delay further the payment of EUR 10 million damages to Georgia for human rights violations when thousands of Georgian citizens were expelled from Russia following a spy row between the two neighboring countries. The European Court of [...]
(Gal Info.) DFWatch--The separatist authorities in Abkhazia have decided to temporarily open the Enguri checkpoint with Georgia proper from December 3 to 10 for "humanitarian" reasons. Those who possess Abkhaz citizenship or permanent residence there and are Covid-19 free can cross the “border” from 9 am till 7 pm during this period, reads a statement released [...]
