Protests and Western condemnation follow jailing of Georgian government critic
Nika Gvaramia, the director of opposition TV Station Mtavari Arkhi, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
Borjomi water to be ‘partially nationalised’
Borjomi, which is majority-owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman, indefinitely ceased production in late April.
Borjomi water to be ‘partially nationalised’
Borjomi, which is majority-owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman, indefinitely ceased production in late April.
Defiant activist blocks South Ossetian authorities from dropping charges against her
Tamara Mearakishvili has insisted on clearing her name, instead of having the charges swept under the rug.
Defiant activist blocks South Ossetian authorities from dropping charges against her
Tamara Mearakishvili has insisted on clearing her name, instead of having the charges swept under the rug.
Georgia marks 17 May with Christian rally and closed queer event
Globally, 17 May is marked as the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.
Georgia marks 17 May with Christian rally and closed queer event
Globally, 17 May is marked as the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.
Owner of fire-bombed queer bar wins ECHR case against Armenia
DIY bar was set alight in 2012, with one of the owners forced to flee the country after receiving death threats.
Owner of fire-bombed queer bar wins ECHR case against Armenia
DIY bar was set alight in 2012, with one of the owners forced to flee the country after receiving death threats.
Pashinyan slams CSTO members for arms trade with Azerbaijan
The Armenian Prime Minister also criticised members of the alliance for not supporting Armenia, including when Azerbaijan crossed into its territory.
Pashinyan slams CSTO members for arms trade with Azerbaijan
The Armenian Prime Minister also criticised members of the alliance for not supporting Armenia, including when Azerbaijan crossed into its territory.
Anti-government protest allowed to go ahead in Baku
Dozens of people gathered in Baku's central Fountain Square over the weekend in protest against violence and threats toward government critics.
South Ossetia to hold Russian annexation referendum on 17 July
President-elect Alan Gagloyev has previously opposed the initiative by the outgoing president, arguing that they should wait for a signal from Moscow.
Features & Analysis
The woman challenging Georgia’s far-right
Samira Bayramova’s activism has made her a target of radical right-wing groups in southern Georgia.
Datablog | Both religion and the county’s Soviet past contribute to Homophobia in Georgia
Religiosity appears to encourage homophobia — but so too does a communist past.
Datablog | Both religion and the county’s Soviet past contribute to Homophobia in Georgia
By Giorgi BabunashviliReligiosity appears to encourage homophobia — but so too does a communist past.
Censorship and violence: the challenges to press freedom in the Caucasus in 2022
OC Media spoke with journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Daghestan, and Georgia about the challenges they must overcome to report the news.
Censorship and violence: the challenges to press freedom in the Caucasus in 2022
By Shota KinchaOC Media spoke with journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Daghestan, and Georgia about the challenges they must overcome to report the news.
Invisible scars: Children, war, and mental health in Azerbaijan
Two wars and repeated clashes have taken their toll on Azerbaijani children living near Nagorno-Karabakh’s line of contact.
Invisible scars: Children, war, and mental health in Azerbaijan
By Parvana RahimovaTwo wars and repeated clashes have taken their toll on Azerbaijani children living near Nagorno-Karabakh’s line of contact.
Kidnapped outside Mariupol
Huseyn Abdullayev, an Azerbaijani student held for a month by Russian troops, tells of daily abuse, torture, and apparent extrajudicial executions.
Kidnapped outside Mariupol
By Ismi AghayevHuseyn Abdullayev, an Azerbaijani student held for a month by Russian troops, tells of daily abuse, torture, and apparent extrajudicial executions.
Russian émigrés face chilly reception in Georgia
Worries over war-related migration from Russia reflect Georgians’ struggle to make sense of the war in Ukraine.
Russian émigrés face chilly reception in Georgia
By Shota KinchaWorries over war-related migration from Russia reflect Georgians’ struggle to make sense of the war in Ukraine.
Opinion
Opinion | The world has woken up to the Russian terror that the Chechens know only too well
Russia’s wars against Chechnya have provided the blueprint for its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Opinion | The silent victims of war
In post-war Azerbaijan, the wives and widows of soldiers are revered only as long as they remain unquestioning.
Editorial | Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine
Russia’s invasion is a resurgence of an ideology that should have been left in the dustbin of history; for the Caucasus, this is a profound threat.
Voices
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![Voice | ‘Why I burnt my Russian internal passport’]()
Voice | ‘Why I burnt my Russian internal passport’
At a demonstration in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on 25 February, Anton Mikhalchuk, a citizen of Russia, set alight his Russian internal passport.
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![Voice | ‘I dreamt of freedom’]()
Voice | ‘I dreamt of freedom’
An Armenian-Lebanese repatriate tells the story of her capture by Azerbaijani forces following the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
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![Voice | ‘They love each other very much’]()
Voice | ‘They love each other very much’
Fifty-six-year old Inga Sindeeva told OC Media about the joys and the challenges of being a foster parent in Georgia.
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![Voice | Life with hands of metal]()
Voice | Life with hands of metal
Artyom Arakelyan lost his hands at 12 years old, but this has not stopped him from becoming a linguist, football coach, and amateur pianist.
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![Voice | ‘They did nothing to help, they abandoned us’]()
Voice | ‘They did nothing to help, they abandoned us’
He was promised a decent job and a good salary in Germany, but instead he found lies, squalor, and backbreaking labour.
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![Voice | ‘Women must put an end to the war’]()
Voice | ‘Women must put an end to the war’
Araksia Martirosyan, participated in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, fought during the four day clashes in 2016, and returned to the front in 2020.
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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.
In Pictures
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![In Pictures | Armenia’s not-so-velvet counter-revolution]()
In Pictures | Armenia’s not-so-velvet counter-revolution
Armenia’s opposition protesters remain steadfast in their demand for Pashinyan’s resignation, though they have few specifics on what happens next.
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![In pictures | Georgians killed in Ukraine receive hero’s welcome in Tbilisi]()
In pictures | Georgians killed in Ukraine receive hero’s welcome in Tbilisi
Gia Beriashvili and Davit Ratiani were killed on the Irpin front, northwest of Kyiv, on 18 March.
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![In Pictures | Fighting to save the art of Borchalo carpet weaving in Georgia]()
In Pictures | Fighting to save the art of Borchalo carpet weaving in Georgia
There are only a few dozen women who still weave the carpets, a unique art practised mostly by Georgia’s ethnic Azerbaijani community
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![In pictures | Education in the shadow of early marriage]()
In pictures | Education in the shadow of early marriage
A few brave Yazidi women in Armenia have bucked tradition and sought a university education, to uplift not only themselves but their whole community.
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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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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.
