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Armenian diaspora

Podcast | The Caucasus and the regime change in Syria

OC Media’s Robin Fabbro, Nate Ostiller, Arshaluys Barseghyan, and Yousef Bardouka talk about the regime change in Syria and what it means for the Caucasian diaspora communities in the country and what it says about Russia’s influence and power globally. Read more: * Armenia says ‘no opportunity’ to evacuate Syrian–Armenians * Syrian rebel leader condemns Abkhazia and South Ossetia recognition * Right of return? — The struggles of the Circassian diaspora to settle in A

In Focus

Tamara Jobava (centre) and her friends hold signs callling for EU sanctions and the release of detained protesters during a pro-EU rally in Tbilisi. Photo courtesy of Irakli Sabekia.
Feature Stories

The diaspora Georgians fighting for their homeland

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Since ferocious anti-government and pro-EU demonstrations flared up in Georgia at the end of last month, some Georgians living across the world have returned to their country to take to the streets and join the fight. When restaurateur Kate Gochashvili’s family reunites in Tbilisi, it is always a special occasion. Based in New York, she is the frontwoman of the family-run Georgian fusion restaurant Cheeseboat, which spans two venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Kate — known to patrons as ‘Mama

Photo for illustrative purposes. Image via Canva
Analysis

Explainer | Meydan TV becomes Azerbaijan’s latest independent media outlet to be repressed

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Azerbaijan’s crackdown on independent media continues with the arrest of seven of Meydan TV’s journalists and freelancers on charges of smuggling and supporting Armenia.  The campaign against Meydan TV began on 6 December with the arrest of journalist Ramin Jabrayilzada, also known as Deko. According to Jabrayilzada’s lawyer, Nemat Karimov, his client was stopped on his way home from the airport. Police confiscated his funds and claimed he had brought an illicit amount of currency into th

Protesters hold signs in both Georgian and Azerbaijani during a pro-EU demonstration in Marneuli. Photo: Rafig Shahbazov.
Azerbaijan

Anti-government protests spread to Georgia’s regions: the case of Marneuli

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Georgian-Azerbaijani activists have held an anti-government demonstration in Marneuli, one of Georgian Dream’s most loyal voter base.  On 4 December, human rights activists, representatives of public organisations, school children, civil activists, and representatives of opposition parties from various municipalities across Georgia’s eastern Kvemo Kartli region gathered at Marneuli’s District Electoral Commission building 22, located only a short distance away from the city hall.  Police

The protest in Tbilisi. Photo: Salome Khvedelidze/OC Media
2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Explainer | After a month of simmering protests, Georgia erupted: why now?

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At a moment when it appeared as if demonstrations against electoral fraud and democratic backsliding had fallen into a feeling of bitter acceptance, protests in Georgia exploded suddenly on 28 November after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the government was suspending its bid for EU accession until 2028. But why did the government choose to take such an unpopular move? And why was this the trigger for such mass discontent? In Tbilisi and other cities and towns across the country

Opinion

Compilation by OC Media.
Azerbaijan

Opinion | Jack of all trades, master of none: Azerbaijan seeks renewables to sustain the status quo

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Increasing investments in renewables may seem like a positive change, battling the climate crisis and diversifying Azerbaijan’s oil-dependent economy. Yet, without a decrease in fossil fuel investments and renewables mostly exported, there may not be a change after all.  Azerbaijan, an authoritarian petro-state, is hosting COP29, the global conference to grapple with the climate crisis. The challenge calls for the phase-out of fossil fuels and the tripling (at least) of renewables by 2030.

Opinion | Chechen volunteer battalions have been abandoned by Ukraine
Chechnya

Opinion | Chechen volunteer battalions have been abandoned by Ukraine

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Despite verbal support for an independent Chechnya, Ukraine has abandoned Chechen fighters who have been fighting on their side against Russia for a decade. Is Russian cultural influence and propaganda the main reason behind this, and if so, what does it mean for Ukraine’s ability to stand against Russian aggression in general?  In October 2022, Ukraine’s parliament recognised the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as an independent state that is ‘temporarily’ occupied by Russia, and condemned ‘t

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