Mayor Gigi Ugulava told police Feb. 8 that they had to establish order. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava has left the police building after three hours of questioning. He said that he thinks he won’t be questioned again about the street violence he was involved in on February 8. The mayor was questioned as a witness […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Four members of the US Congress have appealed to Secretary of State John Kerry to use the full diplomatic resources of his department to avert a political crisis in Georgia. The magazine The Hill on Friday published a letter signed by Michael Turner, […]
Mayor Gigi Ugulava waving his arms, urging supporters to break through a crowd of demonstrators Feb. 8, 2013. TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court Friday issued a ruling that orders the city’s mayor, Gigi Ugulava, to appear before the police and explain himself about a massive street scuffle that he was involved in February 8. The court instructs Interior Ministry employees […]
Sergo Ratiani (left) and Koba Davitashvili (right) fighting while anchor Tea Sichinava (seated) of the show Arguments on Maestro TV tries to calm them down. TBILISI, DFWatch–A member of parliament from the opposition and one from the ruling coalition beat each other live on Maestro TV Wednesday evening during a discussion about political violence. The two briefly clashed together while discussing who was to blame for the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–For several days, investigators in Georgia have been calling National Movement members in for questioning without them appearing, including the Tbilisi mayor. Mayor Gigi Ugulava’s answer has repeatedly been to call on the investigators to come to his […]
Video still shows Gela Mamaladze in the moment he hit member of parliament Chiora Taktakishvili Feb. 8, 2013. TBILISI, DFWatch–The man suspected of beating a member of parliament outside the National Library last Friday was Monday allowed to go free until his trial for a USD 1 200 bail. Gela Mamaladze is charged with physically assaulting Chiora Taktakishvili, Sergo […]
Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili in front of the National Library Feb. 8, 2013. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office asks Tbilisi City Court to impose pre-trial measures against Gela Mamaladze, the man who is accused of beating opposition members outside the National Library on Friday. […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s official Facebook page. TBILISI, DFWatch–The prime minister and the president in Georgia are continuing to challenge eachother’s versions of a violent street clash Friday – via Facebook. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili Sunday evening issued another statement as answer to President […]
Protesters angry about the torture of prisoners blocking the entrance to the National Library before President Saakashvili’s state of the nation address. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two EU foreign policy spokespersons express deep concern over the violent incidents in front of the National Library in Tbilisi February 8. A violent clash developed as a column of activists for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement party, led […]
President Mikheil Saakashvili invites Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and his team to a dialogue. (Photo: President’s press office.) Tbilisi, DF Watch–Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili welcomes a statement by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili condemning Friday’s violence in front of the National Library and invites him to a new dialogue. Saakashvili said he welcomed ‘the fact that the Prime […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili unconditionally and unequivocally condemns the violence which took place on Friday outside the National Library. President Mikheil Saakashvili’s televised address to the nation was delayed after a group of […]
Interior Minister Irakli Gharibashvili trying to calm the crowd outside the National Library Friday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police today detained a person who Friday hit Chiora Taktakishvili, member of parliament for the National Movement, causing bleeding and injuries to her nose. According to the interior minister police this morning detained Giorgi Mamaladze, who is […]
Reactions are strong against the political violence, but some question the actions of Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Some of the top people in President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement party Friday clashed with a crowd mostly consisting of protesters who were angry about the treatment of political prisoners. Over a hundred political prisoners were recently […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — After violent clashes caused him to change venue for the state of the nation address Friday, President Mikheil Saakashvili held his televised address from his residence. No one will be able to lock me up in this palace, the president said. He opened […]
Parliamentarian for Saakashvili’s National Movement party Chiora Taktakishvili emerged from the chaos with a bloody nose. (DF Watch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch — Violent clashes broke out as some of the central figures in President Mikheil Saakashvili’s party were trying to enter the National Library to listen to the state of the nation address. Two rallies were ongoing in the area: One by former […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Activists for the governing Georgian Dream coalition continue to rally people around the country in their demand to replace local government tops, including those appointed by their own party. Tuesday, two rallies are being launched in Tsalka, a town […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Local supporters of the governing Georgian Dream coalition in a town in western Georgia are on hunger strike for the eighth day demanding that the local mayor resigns. Organizers plan to hold a demonstration January 16 if their demand is not met. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Friday, another rally was held to demand the resignation of the local government in a small town in eastern Georgia. The population of Tetritskharo, which lies in the Kvemo Kartli region, doesn’t want the former ruling party to govern their town, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The U.S. is closely monitoring the transition of power from President Saakashvili’s National Movement to Prime Minister Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream coalition. Also subject to scrutiny is how well the two political blocs are working together, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — A member of parliament from Saakashvili’s National Movement party is being called in for questioning regarding the beating of a businessman. According to the prosecutor’s office, Paata Lezhava on September 23, 2012 beat businessman […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgia’s new government Thursday detained another official from the previous government. Kakha Getsadze, trustee of Zestaponi, a town in western Georgia, who is also president of the Wrestling Federation, was November 29 detained. He is accused […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — There were clashes between supporters of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and President Mikheil Saakaashvili in two Georgian villages on Tuesday. Locals in Martvili, a small town in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region in the west, demanded […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The former ruling party accuses the new government of blackmailing and harassment, while the new government officials ask them to present evidence. The claims were described at a briefing in the National Movement party’s […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The physical harassment and psychological pressure against the district election commissions is continuing. Activists from the Georgian Dream party, which won the parliamentary election last week, are now accused of harassing local authorities in Marneuli […]
The founders of Rustavi 2, a TV company are fighting to get back control which they claimed was forcefully deprived from them. Rustavi 2 played an important role in the rose revolution in 2003, which brought President Mikheil Saakashvili to power, but later became completely […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgian Dream and others are protesting outside the election commission offices in nineteen one-past-the-post districts where the National Movement party is winning. According to the latest figures from the Central Election Commission, Georgian Dream […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) summed up events on Election Day and reported about violations. The organization had 300 observers at 63 election district from 73. ISFED found that the election process went mostly with […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The election result from several precincts in three districts of Georgia may be annulled, says the head of Central Election Commission (CEC). Due to tension at several precincts in Khashuri that were stormed by special police units yesterday, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – Special police forces stormed several election precincts in Georgia, seized the ballot box and rewrote the protocol, in order to prevent an opposition victory. Special units of the police have entered several election precincts in Khashuri, a small […]
TBILISI, DFWatch – The kidnapping and killing of a 10 months old girl from an opposition activists’ family has pushed a strained electoral atmosphere towards the boiling point. A ten-month old infant was today found dead in a pitcher full of water after declared […]
Elections are won by media which feed people’s minds and create attitudes. For the first time since November 2003 Georgia has a strong opposition along with a strong ruling team, which makes the parliamentary elections of October 1 really competitive. But government- […]
