Georgia considers ban on political attack ads
The initiative surprised many as it came before local election runoffs in which the ruling party have waged a largely negative campaign
Georgian and German authorities raid ‘scam’ call centre
Seven people in Georgia have been arrested as part of a joint Georgian-German investigation into scam call centres.
Georgian and German authorities raid ‘scam’ call centre
Seven people in Georgia have been arrested as part of a joint Georgian-German investigation into scam call centres.
Abkhazian veterans to hold ‘indefinite protests’ unless Interior Minister resigns
The demands follow a confrontation between police and a group of veterans several weeks ago.
Abkhazian veterans to hold ‘indefinite protests’ unless Interior Minister resigns
The demands follow a confrontation between police and a group of veterans several weeks ago.
ECHR rules Russia is guilty of abducting a Chechen government critic
The whereabouts of Salman Tepsurkayev, who was abducted over one year ago, are still unknown.
ECHR rules Russia is guilty of abducting a Chechen government critic
The whereabouts of Salman Tepsurkayev, who was abducted over one year ago, are still unknown.
Did Iran stop an Azerbaijani advance in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War?
The claim was first made public by an Azerbaijan-based military news outlet, then supported by comments from a Middle East Eye bureau chief.
Did Iran stop an Azerbaijani advance in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War?
The claim was first made public by an Azerbaijan-based military news outlet, then supported by comments from a Middle East Eye bureau chief.
Nika Melia presents coalition ‘shadow cabinet’ for Tbilisi
UNM chair Nika Melia named the leaders of the opposition Lelo, Girchi, and Droa parties as his candidates for deputy mayors.
Nika Melia presents coalition ‘shadow cabinet’ for Tbilisi
UNM chair Nika Melia named the leaders of the opposition Lelo, Girchi, and Droa parties as his candidates for deputy mayors.
Prosecutors: Saakashvili ‘sneaked into Georgia in milk trailer’
Prosecutors say the former Georgian President illegally entered the country on the night of 28–29 September in the cargo and passenger ship Vilnius.
Demand for free meals at schools causes stir in Georgia
The policy has been adopted as a campaign promise by United National Movement Tbilisi mayoral candidate Nika Melia.
Features & Analysis
Datablog | Who reported seeing dzveli bitchebi engaged in the elections?
Data from an ISFED and CRRC Georgia survey suggests that a substantial share of the public reported seeing criminal elements around polling stations.
Analysis | What is behind the growing Iran-Azerbaijan tension?
Iran is deeply unhappy with the shift in regional power dynamics following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, especially the growing influence of Israel.
Analysis | What is behind the growing Iran-Azerbaijan tension?
By Rovshan MammadliIran is deeply unhappy with the shift in regional power dynamics following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, especially the growing influence of Israel.
Seven strangest moments from the 2021 Georgian municipal election campaign
From sledge hammers, to the wearing of blackface, to the possible return of Mikhel Saakashvili, this may have been the strangest municipal election in Georgian history.
Seven strangest moments from the 2021 Georgian municipal election campaign
By Shota KinchaFrom sledge hammers, to the wearing of blackface, to the possible return of Mikhel Saakashvili, this may have been the strangest municipal election in Georgian history.
Catfished in Armenia
Sometimes a Facebook Prince Charming transforms into a scammer trying to extort you from prison.
Catfished in Armenia
By Armine AvetisyanSometimes a Facebook Prince Charming transforms into a scammer trying to extort you from prison.
As Georgia reels from the Delta variant, the Tsinandali Festival plays on
The Tsinandali Festival may be a model for the revival of Georgia’s music scene — but its reduced scope shows that nothing escapes COVID-19.
As Georgia reels from the Delta variant, the Tsinandali Festival plays on
By Peter LiakhovThe Tsinandali Festival may be a model for the revival of Georgia’s music scene — but its reduced scope shows that nothing escapes COVID-19.
A personal history of trauma: thirty years of depression
One woman grapples with the emotional scars war leaves on its victims, and what it means to finally return home.
A personal history of trauma: thirty years of depression
By Larissa SotievaOne woman grapples with the emotional scars war leaves on its victims, and what it means to finally return home.
Opinion
Opinion | The enduring lies of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Already the Azerbaijani state is hard at work manufacturing a new public memory of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Opinion | Azerbaijan’s eco-nationalism is not up to the task
A Sheikh’s posh poaching trip earlier this year caused a scandal but ultimately changed nothing.
Opinion | Taking stock one year after the war
OC Media’s Armenia and Azerbaijan correspondents give personal reflections on the anniversary of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Voices
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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.
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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.
In Pictures
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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 | 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.
