Armenia and Azerbaijan make joint statement announcing ‘confidence-building measures’
Thirty-two Armenian and two Azerbaijani soldiers will be exchanged as part of the agreement.
Civil Contract accused of ‘anti-democratic interference’ in local councils
Civil Contract has abruptly scrapped a power-sharing deal with another party in Gyumri, and ousted an opposition mayor in Alaverdi.
Civil Contract accused of ‘anti-democratic interference’ in local councils
Civil Contract has abruptly scrapped a power-sharing deal with another party in Gyumri, and ousted an opposition mayor in Alaverdi.
Aliyev announces snap presidential elections for February
The elections would take place a year before President Aliyev’s fourth term as president ends.
Aliyev announces snap presidential elections for February
The elections would take place a year before President Aliyev’s fourth term as president ends.
Dozens of UNM council members leave party in opposition to current chair
Several departing members said that they would join the party’s former, Nika Melia, if he launched his own party.
Dozens of UNM council members leave party in opposition to current chair
Several departing members said that they would join the party’s former, Nika Melia, if he launched his own party.
Azerbaijan detains human rights activist on drug charges
An Azerbaijani human rights activist and former police officer has been arrested on drugs charges two months after speaking about police allegedly falsifying charges against government critics.
Azerbaijan detains human rights activist on drug charges
An Azerbaijani human rights activist and former police officer has been arrested on drugs charges two months after speaking about police allegedly falsifying charges against government critics.
Kanal 13 anchor imprisoned by Baku court for ‘disobeying police’
Rufat Muradli has been sentenced to 30 days of administrative arrest, a week after the channel’s founder was arrested.
Armenian soldier reportedly killed on Nakhchivan border
Armenia claimed the soldier was shot by an Azerbaijani sniper while Azerbaijan accused Yerevan of ‘creating artificial tension’
Features & Analysis
Datablog | Georgians more aware of EU membership status than ever before
A CRRC study found that more Georgians are aware than ever before that the country is not yet a member of the EU.
The fight to save Nagorno-Karabakh’s burns patients
Over 200 people were injured in a fuel depot explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh as people fled en masse, leaving them fighting for their lives having lost their homes.
The fight to save Nagorno-Karabakh’s burns patients
By Arshaluys BarseghyanOver 200 people were injured in a fuel depot explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh as people fled en masse, leaving them fighting for their lives having lost their homes.
Poison, pills, or poor angles: what’s behind the rumours surrounding Kadyrov’s health?
For months, rumours have suggested that Ramzan Kadyrov is gravely ill, facing the consequences of either a drug addiction or of poisoning.
Poison, pills, or poor angles: what’s behind the rumours surrounding Kadyrov’s health?
By Luiza MchedlishviliFor months, rumours have suggested that Ramzan Kadyrov is gravely ill, facing the consequences of either a drug addiction or of poisoning.
From protesting in Georgia to arrest in South Ossetia: what happened to Rafail Shepelev?
In October, a Tbilisi-based Russian activist was arrested in South Ossetia, but why he ended up there remains unclear.
From protesting in Georgia to arrest in South Ossetia: what happened to Rafail Shepelev?
By Shota KinchaIn October, a Tbilisi-based Russian activist was arrested in South Ossetia, but why he ended up there remains unclear.
Kremlin propaganda turns up the heat on Armenia
In the wake of Nagorno-Karabakh’s surrender to Azerbaijan, the Kremlin has intensified its criticism of Armenia’s leadership.
Kremlin propaganda turns up the heat on Armenia
By Ani AvetisyanIn the wake of Nagorno-Karabakh’s surrender to Azerbaijan, the Kremlin has intensified its criticism of Armenia’s leadership.
What was behind the North Caucasus’ antisemitic surge?
After a series of antisemitic events in the North Caucasus, the factors contributing to mass violence remain cause for debate.
What was behind the North Caucasus’ antisemitic surge?
By Tata ShoshiashviliAfter a series of antisemitic events in the North Caucasus, the factors contributing to mass violence remain cause for debate.
Opinion
Editorial | Ilham Aliyev’s attempt to eradicate the free press cannot succeed
Despite the Azerbaijani President’s apparent strength, the very existence of media organisations like Abzas proves he cannot succeed.
Opinion | Fourteen years on Rustaveli Avenue — documenting Georgia’s descent into authoritarianism
Having worked as a journalist for 14 years, I have seen and documented my country’s descent first-hand.
Opinion | The Ingush are leaving Russia
A Russian collapse following their defeat in Ukraine is inevitable, and when it comes, the Ingush are ready to forge their own future.
Voices
-
![Voice | Three months in a Georgian Dream troll factory]()
Voice | Three months in a Georgian Dream troll factory
Nino, 17, found that working for the ruling party meant fake social media flashmobs, no contracts, and broken promises.
-
![Voice | They slapped me and called me a faggot: my experience with the Tbilisi police]()
Voice | They slapped me and called me a faggot: my experience with the Tbilisi police
Giorgi Mzhavanadze, director of the Shame Movement, recounts his experience in the Ninth Police Department in Tbilisi.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
In Pictures
-
![In pictures | Broken statues and stolen yoga mats: Georgia’s far right stop Pride Festival]()
In pictures | Broken statues and stolen yoga mats: Georgia’s far right stop Pride Festival
Far-right protesters stormed a queer pride event in Georgia’s capital hours before it was due to begin.
-
![In pictures | Portrait of a mass hunger strike]()
In pictures | Portrait of a mass hunger strike
Angry over increasingly harsh working conditions, ten mine workers in central Georgia have gone on hunger strike.
-
![In pictures | Georgians defeat the foreign agent law]()
In pictures | Georgians defeat the foreign agent law
The Georgian Government made a U-turn on the bill after a second night of huge protests in Tbilisi.
-
![In pictures | Tear gas and water cannons: Georgia’s foreign agent protests]()
In pictures | Tear gas and water cannons: Georgia’s foreign agent protests
Riot police used force to disperse tens of thousands of protestors against the foreign agent law after it was passed by parliament.
-
![In Pictures | Life in limbo at the Hotel Goris]()
In Pictures | Life in limbo at the Hotel Goris
Unable to return home, residents of Nagorno-Karabakh caught on the Armenian side of the Lachin blockade have temporarily settled near the border.
-
![In Pictures | Georgia’s shrinking train lines]()
In Pictures | Georgia’s shrinking train lines
Trains were once among the most reliable methods of transport in Georgia, but closures under the guise of the pandemic have left many cut off.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
