Georgian Dream revives extremely controversial law on “Agents of Foreign Influence”, what is written in the new draft
Shalva Papuashvili Georgian government, after a one-year forced pause and in the face of criticism both inside and outside the country, re-initiated the bill on "Agents of Foreign Influence". The new initiative, titled as the draft law on "Transparency of Foreign Influence", which Georgian Dream seems to be determined to finally adopt, envisages the mandatory registration of non-governmental organizations and media outlets with more than [...]
Coffee shop owner from Moscow, who angered Putin supporters, leaves Russia, moves to Tbilisi
TBILISI, DFWatch--A woman from Moscow Oblast, who caused great anger among Vladimir Putin supporters by kicking out a Russian soldier fighting against Ukraine from her coffee shop, has moved to Tbilisi with only ‘two bags’, [...]
News
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 [...]
22 y/o Georgian fighter sentenced to life in Donbass for killing three Russian infantrymen
TBILISI, DFWatch--The court of the "Donetsk People's Republic" has sentenced a Georgian fighter Mamuka Gatserelia to life imprisonment for killing three Russian infantrymen, the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation states. The 22-year-old volunteer, [...]
Who’s the Georgian citizen that Putin talked about in an interview with Tucker Carlson, without mentioning his name
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili (left) and his assassin Vadim Krasikov. TBILISI, DFWatch--Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested his country might exchange American journalist Evan Gershkovich for a Russian assassin jailed in Germany. Speaking to former Fox News [...]
Major reshuffle in Georgian politics: PM trades seat with ruling party chairman
Irakli Garibashvili (right) and Irakli Kobakhidze (gd.ge). TBILISI, DFWatch–After Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili returned to public politics in late December, everyone in Georgia expected major upheavals in the government, although only a small number [...]
The Dutch low-cost carrier starts flights from Tbilisi to Amsterdam in April
TBILISI, DFWatch–Dutch low-cost airline, Transavia, is starting to operate in the Georgian market. Tickets can currently be purchased on the company's website for flights from late April. During the summer navigation season of 2024, the [...]
NDI poll predicts bleak future for opposition parties in 2024 unless they somehow manage to unite
A poll commissioned by the US National Democratic Institute has once again shown the dire, and one might say catastrophic, situation faced by most political parties in Georgia a year before benchmark general elections. According [...]
Opposition demands adoption of the “Protect Georgia Act” to stop “invasion of Russians”
Mamuka Khazaradze (Facebook). TBILISI, DFWatch – The opposition party demands the establishment of a visa regime, a ban on the entry of cars with Russian license plates and other strict measures in order to prevent [...]
Former de facto president elevated to Russian mercenary army ranks claims over 1,000 South Ossetians fight in Ukraine
TBILISI, DFWatch –1,100-1,200 volunteers from South Ossetia are fighting on the Russian side in Ukraine, said Anatoly Bibilov, Deputy Commander of the Volunteer Assault Corps, in an interview with Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti. [...]
“Russian-Georgian Business Council” proposes to open road through occupied Tskhinvali
Davit Tsetskhladze (Facebook). TBILISI, DFWatch – At the meeting of the "Russia-Georgia Business Council" in Vladikavkaz, the capital of Russia’s republic of North Ossetia, the issue of opening a road connecting Russia and Georgia through occupied [...]
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
PACE to discuss dismissing its president in October
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 […]
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
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 [...]
Georgian NGOs express concern over oil spill off Russia’s Black Sea coast
(Photo: Instagram / _svetlana__radionova_) TBILISI, DFWatch--Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Georgian National Platform, a coalition of more than 200 non-governmental organizations, expresses concern over an oil spill off Russia’s Black [...]