Former Adjara leader in critical condition after gunshot wound
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The former head of Georgia’s Adjara regional government, Tornike Rizhvadze, remains in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in what may have been a suicide attempt. Rizhvadze was first [...]
News
Georgia’s president offers pardon to opposition leaders if they play along
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The opposition party "Lelo for Strong Georgia" has announced its decision to participate in the October 4 local elections, splitting from a bloc of parties calling for an electoral boycott. The announcement came [...]
Georgia’s ruling GD party denies reports it voted for OSCE resolution condemning its democratic backsliding
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is rejecting claims that it supported a critical resolution passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto on July 3. The resolution, which includes a condemnation of [...]
Dire prospects for Georgia’s small-scale farmers
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia is facing a demographic and agricultural crisis as more than 100,000 rural residents have left villages over the last decade. Between 2014 and 2024, the rural population fell by about 6.3%, dropping [...]
Hunger strike fails to unite opposition ahead of local elections
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--With just a few months left until Georgia’s local elections on October 4, the country’s opposition remains deeply divided. Some parties are preparing to boycott the vote, while others intend to participate, hoping [...]
Mass firings in Georgia’s foreign ministry sparks speculation of political purge
Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s Foreign Ministry is facing criticism following a wave of dismissals that appear to target pro-Western diplomats. Dozens of employees, many of them having decades of service, have reportedly [...]
EU considers suspending visa-free entry for Georgians
TBILISI, DFWatch--When foreign ministers from EU member countries meet in Luxembourg on Monday, three of the topics on their agenda are about Georgia: the rise in anti-EU disinformation, possible sanctions over alleged human rights violations, [...]
Georgia’s ruling party says opposition participation ‘irrelevant’ ahead of local elections
GD lawmaker said it is irrelevant whether the opposition participates in the elections. TBILISI, DFWatch--As Georgia prepares to hold local elections in October, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party says it expects a decisive win [...]
Parliament commission to investigative UNM crimes seeks extension ahead of damning report
TBILISI, DFWatch--A temporary investigative commission in Georgia’s parliament is seeking to extend its mandate by one month, in order to complete a report expected to paint a detrimental picture of the former government's abuse of [...]
Award-winning editor fined for placing protest sticker on police building
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--In Batumi, on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, journalist and co‑founder of outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Mzia Amaghlobeli, was fined 1,000 GEL (USD 365) for placing a protest sticker outside the regional police headquarters. The [...]
Georgia: How to Be Rational and Coherent in That Disbalanced World? – A Conversation with Professor Neil Macfarlane
Tedo Japaridze I acquainted with Neil Macfarlane since the last century: it was 1990 when we met each other for the first time at some round table held by the Georgian MFA to discuss the [...]
Europe and Georgia
Georgia’s ruling GD party denies reports it voted for OSCE resolution condemning its democratic backsliding
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is rejecting claims that it supported a critical resolution passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto on [...]
Opinion
Minorities
Georgian Dream is preparing a bill against “ideology of pseudo-liberals” and “wilful propaganda of non-traditional lifestyle”
TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgian Dream is in the process of preparing a legislative initiative to "protect society from pseudo-liberal ideology" and its inevitable harmful consequences." The country may face such a situation when "we will be asked [...]
NGO News
Georgian NGOs, media snub foreign agent law, suspend cooperation with government
Tbilisi, DFWatch-Over a hundred non-governmental and media organizations declare their open disobedience to the foreign influence draft law initiated by the Georgian authorities and suspend all cooperation with the government [...]
GD and far-right Conservative Movement lead: TI report on party donations
The Conservative Movement, a far-right pro-Russian political party notorious for violence against LGBTQ activists and journalists, was second only to the ruling Georgian Dream in the last quarter of 2022 [...]
Civic groups in Georgia campaign to help Ukrainian refugees left out in the street
(Razom.ge) Georgian civic groups and activists have launched a fundraising campaign to provide temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees who were left out in the street after the end of state [...]