TBILISI, October 24 – For the 311th straight day, protesters gathered outside Georgia’s parliament on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding new elections and the release of people detained during previous demonstrations. What began as a small rally on the sidewalk Friday escalated after part of the crowd moved onto the main roadway, blocking traffic along one of … Read more
TBILISI, October 22 – Police detained around 20 protesters on Wednesday evening during renewed clashes outside Georgia’s parliament in Tbilisi. The solidarity rally for jailed journalists was held amid steady stream of detentions in recent days, and turned tense when demonstrators again blocked Rustaveli Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare. According to the Ministry of Internal … Read more
TBILISI, October 22 – Georgian police detained twelve demonstrators in the capital during the past 24 hours for violating public assembly laws, as protests continue outside the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue despite mounting restrictions. According to a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, protesters “continued to engage in unlawful actions” by blocking traffic … Read more
TBILISI, October 22 – Journalists in the Georgian coastal city of Batumi held a rally on Wednesday to protest the recent arrests of several reporters, calling the detentions an attack on media freedom. Carrying banners that read “Who will expose corruption and nepotism if there is no media?”, demonstrators gathered outside the Constitutional Court and … Read more
TBILISI, October 19 – A Tbilisi court on Sunday sentenced journalist and TV anchor Vakho Sanaia to six days in administrative detention after finding him guilty of violating Georgia’s law on public assemblies. Judge Manuchar Tsatsua ruled that Sanaia, a prominent presenter on opposition-leaning broadcaster Formula TV, was guilty of blocking traffic during a protest … Read more
TBILISI, October 19 – A well-known Georgian journalist and TV anchor, Vakho Sanaia, was detained by police in central Tbilisi on Sunday, his employer Formula TV reported. A Video circulating on social media showed Sanaia entering a police car, with bystanders filming. Formula said the journalist was detained for allegedly blocking Rustaveli Avenue, where opposition … Read more
TBILISI, October 16 – Georgia’s diplomatic rift with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) widened on Thursday after the government fined Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister and current OSCE chair, for joining an anti-government protest during her recent visit to Tbilisi. The Interior Ministry confirmed to Interpressnews that Valtonen was fined 5,000 … Read more
TBILISI, October 15 – Georgia’s parliament opened debate Wednesday on a government-backed bill that would sharply increase penalties for unauthorized protests, introducing the harshest restrictions on street demonstrations in years. The proposal is part of a set of three legislative packages now being reviewed under an accelerated procedure. Under the new draft, people taking part … Read more
TBILISI, October 14 – Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday defended the government’s controversial new legislation aimed at curbing unapproved street protests and warned against what he called “radical” opposition forces. Kobakhidze said the government is finalizing a constitutional lawsuit that will target political parties he accused of “destructive” activity. “Our country needs calm … Read more
The international media’s portrayal of Georgia’s opposition is starting to look more like myth-making than reporting. Mundane acts of defiance are routinely spun as proof of government repression. Take the case of journalist and media founder Mzia Amaghlobeli, now feted as a symbol of free speech. She has been nominated for the EU’s prestigious Sakharov … Read more