Frontera employee reportedly takes own life after ‘not being paid for 14 months’
The American oil and gas company has a controversial history in Georgia, including labour disputes and a falling-out with the government.
Georgian basketballer faces backlash for joining Russian club
The controversy around Shengelia is part of a growing movement demanding that famous Georgians avoid Russia.
Georgian basketballer faces backlash for joining Russian club
The controversy around Shengelia is part of a growing movement demanding that famous Georgians avoid Russia.
Activists in Armenia raise the alarm over oil-covered storks
Environmentalists and the Ministry of Environment have accused fisheries of polluting the waters where the birds feed.
Activists in Armenia raise the alarm over oil-covered storks
Environmentalists and the Ministry of Environment have accused fisheries of polluting the waters where the birds feed.
Watchdogs fear new communications bill puts Georgian media freedom at risk
The state’s communications regulator has demanded a mandate to appoint ‘special managers’ to telecoms operators.
Watchdogs fear new communications bill puts Georgian media freedom at risk
The state’s communications regulator has demanded a mandate to appoint ‘special managers’ to telecoms operators.
Austrian authorities probe murder of man identified as Kadyrov critic Mamikhan Umarov
Austrian authorities have detained two men allegedly involved in the killing.
Austrian authorities probe murder of man identified as Kadyrov critic Mamikhan Umarov
Austrian authorities have detained two men allegedly involved in the killing.
Russian authorities conclude investigation into murder of Daghestan’s Chernovik newspaper founder
Khadzhimurad Kamalov’s brother has insisted that the men accused of the murder are innocent.
Russian authorities conclude investigation into murder of Daghestan’s Chernovik newspaper founder
Khadzhimurad Kamalov’s brother has insisted that the men accused of the murder are innocent.
Azerbaijani oil workers told to ‘take pay cut or face dismissal’
Oil firm Bahar Energy, owned by a Cayman Islands-registered corporation, has been accused of ‘grossly violating’ labour legislation.
Clothing photoshoot in Yerevan leads to homophobic uproar online
Queer rights activists have warned of attempts to whip-up homophobic hatred in an attempt to damage the government’s popularity.
Features & Analysis
Migrant workers left in Armenia due to COVID-19 face unemployment
Remittances from abroad contribute one-fifth of Armenia’s GDP.
‘Life shouldn’t be a luxury’ — a Georgian woman’s struggle to afford life-saving cancer treatment
Despite partial government-funding for cancer treatment in Georgia, for society’s most vulnerable, the remaining costs can still be insurmountable.
‘Life shouldn’t be a luxury’ — a Georgian woman’s struggle to afford life-saving cancer treatment
By Tamuna ChkareuliDespite partial government-funding for cancer treatment in Georgia, for society’s most vulnerable, the remaining costs can still be insurmountable.
Colony 13: Coronavirus in an Azerbaijani prison
Bad sanitary detention conditions and poor food put prisoners at high risk of infection with reportedly much more cases than the authorities announced.
Colony 13: Coronavirus in an Azerbaijani prison
By Sabina AbubakirovaBad sanitary detention conditions and poor food put prisoners at high risk of infection with reportedly much more cases than the authorities announced.
Analysis | Lost in the census: Mingrelian and Svan languages face extinction in Georgia
Despite data suggesting thousands of native Mingrelian and Svan speakers, fears of nationalism are holding back efforts to save the languages.
Analysis | Lost in the census: Mingrelian and Svan languages face extinction in Georgia
By David SichinavaDespite data suggesting thousands of native Mingrelian and Svan speakers, fears of nationalism are holding back efforts to save the languages.
A million voices for the Kremlin’s propaganda — the Alliance of Patriots’ ‘million-person poll’
An anti-Western party, whose members are also members of the Georgian parliament, is using this question to ‘investigate’ the attitudes of the population.
A million voices for the Kremlin’s propaganda — the Alliance of Patriots’ ‘million-person poll’
By Tamuna GegidzeAn anti-Western party, whose members are also members of the Georgian parliament, is using this question to ‘investigate’ the attitudes of the population.
‘This is no life’: The disillusionment of Azerbaijani migrants in Poland
Despite a dream of prosperity, Azerbaijani workers have found themselves mired in low wage jobs with almost no legal protections.
‘This is no life’: The disillusionment of Azerbaijani migrants in Poland
By OC MediaDespite a dream of prosperity, Azerbaijani workers have found themselves mired in low wage jobs with almost no legal protections.
Opinion
Opinion | Azerbaijan’s COVID-19 response: anything but adequate
By using the pandemic as cover to increase repression, Azerbaijani authorities have failed in their most basic duties.
Opinion | The conflict between Church and state during a pandemic endangers us all
The Church’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic are an escalation of a long-simmering conflict with the Georgian state.
Editorial | The Georgian government’s year-long venture to tame Adjara TV is about to succeed
After a barrage of criticism from the government and a series of firings and ‘reorganisations’ — the broadcaster’s neutrality is under serious threat.
Voices
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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 | ‘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.
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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 | ‘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 | ‘I’m not a girl, I’m an athlete’]()
Voice | ‘I’m not a girl, I’m an athlete’
Despite all odds, in just one year, Patima Ayshalova has become one of Daghestan’s top boxers.
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![Voice | ‘I did all these things so that the women would not lose hope’]()
Voice | ‘I did all these things so that the women would not lose hope’
Vafa Naghi tells the story of how she left behind a promising career to return to her village and help its women gain their independence.
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![Voice | ‘My part in exposing this system’]()
Voice | ‘My part in exposing this system’
Sasha Kalmakhelidze, 24, was arrested for possession of MDMA. He tells the nightmarish story of his arrest and detention.
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![Voice | ‘Help comes from those who themselves need help’]()
Voice | ‘Help comes from those who themselves need help’
Eighty-six year-old Syrian refugee Shaziya Nukh has found nothing but poverty and isolation in Kabardino-Balkaria, the land of her ancestors.
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![Voice | ‘Life is tough for a young widow’]()
Voice | ‘Life is tough for a young widow’
A woman from Duisi, Pankisi Valley, speaks of being married too young, losing a husband and the hardships of being a widow in a conservative society.
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![Voice from the Georgian–South Ossetian conflict | ‘There is nothing worse than war’]()
Voice from the Georgian–South Ossetian conflict | ‘There is nothing worse than war’
‘When they started setting houses on fire, and burned down my cousins’ houses, we were forced to run away. We were afraid that they would burn us all. So we ran.’
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![Voice | ‘What I hate the most is the injustice of it’]()
Voice | ‘What I hate the most is the injustice of it’
Supermarket cashier Mako Gomuri, 20, is one of several people to lose an eye on 20 June during anti-Russia protests in Tbilisi.
In Pictures
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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 | 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 | 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 | 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 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 | Nowhere else to go: the stories of Yerevan’s homeless]()
In pictures | Nowhere else to go: the stories of Yerevan’s homeless
There is one shelter in the city, with a capacity of 100, but it is not enough to house the hundreds living on Yerevan’s streets.
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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.
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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 ‘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.
