Live updates | Armenia goes to the polls in snap parliamentary elections
Live updates throughout the day from Amenia’s snap parliamentary elections.
Armenians prepare to go to the polls in historic election
Polls show that the race is primarily between acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the country’s second president Robert Kocharyan.
Armenians prepare to go to the polls in historic election
Polls show that the race is primarily between acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the country’s second president Robert Kocharyan.
Troubled Ninotsminda orphanage to be converted into daycare centre
The Public Defender is scheduled to visit the church-run orphanage next week.
Troubled Ninotsminda orphanage to be converted into daycare centre
The Public Defender is scheduled to visit the church-run orphanage next week.
ECHR finds Russia responsible for disappearance and death of Chechen man
Aslanbek Saidakhmadov was abducted by police on 3 August 2009. His fate remains unknown.
ECHR finds Russia responsible for disappearance and death of Chechen man
Aslanbek Saidakhmadov was abducted by police on 3 August 2009. His fate remains unknown.
Robert Kocharyan proposes Armenia ‘foreign agent’ law
Kocharyan said he seeks to ‘set strict controls’ on the work of organisations funded by foreign donors.
Robert Kocharyan proposes Armenia ‘foreign agent’ law
Kocharyan said he seeks to ‘set strict controls’ on the work of organisations funded by foreign donors.
Kobakhidze calls for Tbilisi Pride to be cancelled
The ‘March for Dignity’ is planned to take place along Rustaveli Avenue on 5 July.
Kobakhidze calls for Tbilisi Pride to be cancelled
The ‘March for Dignity’ is planned to take place along Rustaveli Avenue on 5 July.
Georgian Public Defender’s Office slams ‘illegal’ gig economy contracts
The Public Defender’s Office told OC Media they were considering taking legal action to force Bolt Food to sign employment contracts with couriers.
Daghestan security forces abduct daughter of Chechen official in domestic violence shelter raid
Khalimat Taramova was seized and then placed into the custody of her father.
Features & Analysis
Stunts and insults mark first week of campaigning in Armenia
Candidates were heavy on personal insults, violent rhetoric, and mutual recriminations — and spoke little about actual policy.
Datablog | Who doesn’t watch TV in Georgia?
Recent data from CRRC Georgia’s 2020 Caucasus Barometer survey suggests that many people have stopped watching TV.
Datablog | Who doesn’t watch TV in Georgia?
By Dustin GilbreathRecent data from CRRC Georgia’s 2020 Caucasus Barometer survey suggests that many people have stopped watching TV.
Frontera spent $1 million on US lobbying while its Georgian workers went unpaid
The US oil and gas company spent $1 million on lobbying in an attempt to sway an international arbitration case in Georgia.
Frontera spent $1 million on US lobbying while its Georgian workers went unpaid
By Thomas RowleyThe US oil and gas company spent $1 million on lobbying in an attempt to sway an international arbitration case in Georgia.
Oligarchs and ex-presidents — who’s in and who’s out in Armenia’s electoral lists?
Polls suggest a two-way race between Pashinyan and Kocharyan, but beyond the party leaders, who is running in each party’s list?
Oligarchs and ex-presidents — who’s in and who’s out in Armenia’s electoral lists?
By Ani AvetisyanPolls suggest a two-way race between Pashinyan and Kocharyan, but beyond the party leaders, who is running in each party’s list?
Datablog | Does religion make Georgians happy?
While research internationally suggests a link between religion and people’s happiness, does the same stand true for Georgia?
Datablog | Does religion make Georgians happy?
By Davit LursmanashviliWhile research internationally suggests a link between religion and people’s happiness, does the same stand true for Georgia?
Is an interconnected Caucasus on the horizon?
Russia, Turkey, and Iran have all shown interest in participating in restoring the transport corridors.
Is an interconnected Caucasus on the horizon?
By Hamida GiyasbayliRussia, Turkey, and Iran have all shown interest in participating in restoring the transport corridors.
Opinion
Opinion | How Azerbaijan’s media ignores anti-queer violence
The media’s silence in the face of a surge of anti-queer violence is nothing less than complicity with it.
Opinion | The war did not save us
Contrary to the beliefs of some, victory in the war did not uplift the collective psyche of the Azerbaijani public nor empower civil society.
Opinion | Armenia stands at a dangerous moral crossroads
If Armenia is to overcome the present crisis, the country’s quiet majority must spearhead a national moral conversion.
Voices
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![Voice | ‘I was shot twice in the head and abducted, but I survived’]()
Voice | ‘I was shot twice in the head and abducted, but I survived’
Sufyan had a promising life and career ahead of him until he reported his superiors for a massive fraudulent scheme.
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![Voice | I'm looking for my child]()
Voice | I'm looking for my child
In the wake of the revelations about the trafficking of newborns in Armenia, Haykuhi Khachatryan began to believe that her late newborn was still alive.
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![Voice | ‘I knew from age 6 that I was born in the wrong body’]()
Voice | ‘I knew from age 6 that I was born in the wrong body’
A 42-year-old transgender man shares his story of discovering his real gender identity and the struggle of living in Georgia as a trans person.
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![Voice | ‘I went to war at 17’]()
Voice | ‘I went to war at 17’
Sent to war aged just 17, WWII veteran Vardanush Zakaryan tells how her love for her husband survived both war and death.
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![Voice | ‘In my hands, a weapon has become a work of art’]()
Voice | ‘In my hands, a weapon has become a work of art’
Artak Tadevosyan from Gyumri gives new life to used bullets and casings.
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![Voice | ‘I was kidnapped by my family’]()
Voice | ‘I was kidnapped by my family’
Devran Ibrahimsoy, 25, did not receive his family’s support when he discovered his gender identity; after he fled to Baku, they even kidnapped him.
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![Voice | ‘I’ve been homeless since 2000’]()
Voice | ‘I’ve been homeless since 2000’
The trials, tribulations, and occasional moments of grace in twenty years of living on Tbilisi’s streets.
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![Voice | ‘We are all tired, but we shouldn’t give up’]()
Voice | ‘We are all tired, but we shouldn’t give up’
Georgian doctor Nino Kvirtia talks about fighting both the coronavirus and the accompanying disinformation.
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![Vitali Safarov’s mother: I must know why they killed my son]()
Vitali Safarov’s mother: I must know why they killed my son
The mother is appealing the court’s verdict which said the murder wasn’t a hate crime.
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![Voice | ‘Whether I have a disability or not, I am still me’]()
Voice | ‘Whether I have a disability or not, I am still me’
Jamila Mammadli, 26, talks about love, her passion for the theatre, and the preconceptions about disability that are pervasive in Azerbaijan.
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![Voice | ‘They say Georgia is a tolerant and diverse country; these are just words’]()
Voice | ‘They say Georgia is a tolerant and diverse country; these are just words’
Gulgun Mamadli, 22, talks about experiencing xenophobia and hate speech during the pandemic.
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![Voice | The bitterness of the Kvankhidatli salt — the women salt miners of Daghestan]()
Voice | The bitterness of the Kvankhidatli salt — the women salt miners of Daghestan
In the mountain village of Kvankhidatli, women recall ‘going to the salt’ since the beginning of the 20th century.
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![Voice | Tamara Mearakishvili: ‘If I’m found guilty, I will not run away’]()
Voice | Tamara Mearakishvili: ‘If I’m found guilty, I will not run away’
The veteran activist and journalist reflects on life in Akhalgori, her ongoing prosecution, and the Georgian Government’s approach to South Ossetia.
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![Voice | ‘People should not lose their sense of responsibility’]()
Voice | ‘People should not lose their sense of responsibility’
When Armenia confirmed its first case of COVID-19, Naira Stepanyan, a doctor specialising in infectious diseases, was the first to treat him.
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![Voice | ‘The occupation of Abkhazia makes us occupied too’]()
Voice | ‘The occupation of Abkhazia makes us occupied too’
Nona Bukia tells of the social ills that have been caused by Abkhazia’s closure of crossing points three years ago.
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![Voice | ‘Every afternoon I came home from school broken’]()
Voice | ‘Every afternoon I came home from school broken’
Narek, 29, from Stepanakert, describes how he was tormented at school while teachers often protected the abusers.
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![Voice | ‘I left prison with a double stigma — I was a convict and HIV-positive’]()
Voice | ‘I left prison with a double stigma — I was a convict and HIV-positive’
Tamuna Gakhokidze, 37, is HIV-positive woman from Tbilisi who speaks about her diagnosis, about stigma, as well as how she discovered her diagnosis and learnt to live with it.
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![Voice | The women on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic]()
Voice | The women on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic
Three women employed in women-led fields share their experiences of life and work in a pandemic.
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![Voice | ‘My family urged me to return to Armenia; but I decided to stay in China’]()
Voice | ‘My family urged me to return to Armenia; but I decided to stay in China’
When the coronavirus hit, Emma Petrosyan, 28, from Alaverdi, chose to stay in China, the country she has lived and worked in for a year and a half.
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![Voice | ‘Just give me back my children’]()
Voice | ‘Just give me back my children’
Chechen tradition dictates that children of divorce belong to the man and his family. Jamilya shares her story of being separated from her children.
In Pictures
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![In pictures | Lips sewn shut in Chiatura’s sinking village]()
In pictures | Lips sewn shut in Chiatura’s sinking village
Residents of Shukruti say their houses continue to collapse due to mining underneath, and neither the mining company nor the government is listening.
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![In Pictures | Forgotten by the highway]()
In Pictures | Forgotten by the highway
From hammocks to nazuki sweet bread, the roadside wares that make travel in Georgia such a delight are in danger of disappearing.
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![In Pictures | Bakuriani’s corona freeze]()
In Pictures | Bakuriani’s corona freeze
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought life in Georgia’s most popular ski resort town to a painful standstill.
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![In pictures | Borjomi’s year-long winter]()
In pictures | Borjomi’s year-long winter
Residents of the legendary spa town have banded together to try to survive the disappearance of the summer tourism boom.
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![In pictures | Tbilisi’s ‘jarti’ collectors]()
In pictures | Tbilisi’s ‘jarti’ collectors
A look at Georgia’s uneasy scrap industry shows how Georgia’s present situation reflects in the piles of tin, copper, and brass.
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![In Pictures | Women’s voices in forestry]()
In Pictures | Women’s voices in forestry
The women who live off Georgia’s forests, and the women who tend to them tell their stories.
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![In pictures | Strategic object: Baku’s years of transformation]()
In pictures | Strategic object: Baku’s years of transformation
In a four year project, Chloe Borkett captured images of Baku’s metamorphosis in the 2010s from a different angle.
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![In pictures | Rustavi: The city of factories]()
In pictures | Rustavi: The city of factories
Rustavi’s factories have led to ‘alarming’ levels of air pollution in the city — local activists, backed by the city council, are getting fed up.
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![In pictures | Black Lives Matter protest in Tbilisi]()
In pictures | Black Lives Matter protest in Tbilisi
Several dozen protestors gathered in central Tbilisi in support of the ongoing demonstrations in the United States.
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![In pictures | Tbilisi’s night bus — a shelter on wheels]()
In pictures | Tbilisi’s night bus — a shelter on wheels
Tbilisi introduced a night bus two years ago between the city centre and the airport. Now, it serves as overnight accommodation for the homeless.
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![In pictures | Life under quarantine in Gyumri]()
In pictures | Life under quarantine in Gyumri
Hopes for a bumper tourist season in Armenia’s second-largest city have been put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.
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![In pictures | Ghost apartments and hyperbuilding in Batumi]()
In pictures | Ghost apartments and hyperbuilding in Batumi
Soaring tourism in the popular casino town has brought with it a construction boom — one that seemingly has no end in sight.
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![In pictures | Tbilisi’s first night under curfew]()
In pictures | Tbilisi’s first night under curfew
On 31 March at 21:00, the streets of Tbilisi emptied as the country entered its first night of curfew.
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![In pictures | Tbilisi in a state of emergency]()
In pictures | Tbilisi in a state of emergency
The new restrictions on businesses and freedom of movement have left the streets of Tbilisi eerily empty.
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![In pictures | International Women’s Day at Tbilisi’s largest flower market]()
In pictures | International Women’s Day at Tbilisi’s largest flower market
Despite the panoply of colours and the sweet smells, for some of Tbilisi’s flower sellers, it is not an entirely festive affair.
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![In pictures | Struggle in the open-air: Tbilisi’s Navtlughi Bazaar]()
In pictures | Struggle in the open-air: Tbilisi’s Navtlughi Bazaar
The open-air bazaars of Tbilisi began with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s; they remain a vital lifeline for many.
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![In pictures | Life along the Azerbaijani border regions of Gazakh and Tovuz]()
In pictures | Life along the Azerbaijani border regions of Gazakh and Tovuz
Along the Armenian Azerbaijani border, ceasefire violations occur frequently from both sides.
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![In pictures | The uncertain life of lorry drivers along the Georgian Military Road]()
In pictures | The uncertain life of lorry drivers along the Georgian Military Road
One of the most common sights along the Georgian Military Road, after the mountain views, is the lines of lorries queuing at the Russian border.
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![In pictures | Tbilisi’s dying evergreens]()
In pictures | Tbilisi’s dying evergreens
As the trees on Tbilisi’s periphery turn orange and die, environmental activists say more must be done to save Tbilisi’s last green areas.
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![In pictures | Tbilisi’s lemon vendors — the hardships of selling lemons to survive]()
In pictures | Tbilisi’s lemon vendors — the hardships of selling lemons to survive
Selling lemons in the streets at ₾1 for a bag of 5, Tbilisi’s lemon vendors — almost exclusively elderly women — struggle to scrape out a living.
