Editorial

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In the foreground, a man illegally ‘assists’ a voter in Tbilisi during the 2024 parliamentary elections. Photo: Hermine Virabian/OC Media

2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Editorial | Georgia’s rigged election

by OC Media

•3 min read

Georgia’s parliamentary elections were neither free nor fair, and with overwhelming evidence that the vote was rigged, the elections, and the incoming government, cannot be considered legitimate. When Georgians went to the polls on 26 October to elect a new parliament, they did so in an environment of fear mongering and intimidation, and one with a myriad of new repressive laws in place. The ruling party centred its campaign on their claim that an opposition victory would mean war with Russi

Bidzina Ivanishvili

Editorial | Georgia’s ruling oligarch unhinged

by OC Media

•3 min read

Bidzina Ivanishvili has emerged from behind the curtains with a dark vision for the future of Georgia. In an unhinged rant filled with conspiracy theories and threats of repression, Georgia’s ruling oligarch has made crystal clear that he no longer plans to tolerate dissent — from within the country or from his critics in the West. On 29 April, the reclusive billionaire and ‘honorary chair’ of the ruling Georgian Dream party descended from his steel palace above Tbilisi to make a rare public a

Ulvi Hasanli at a protest on 24 December 2022 outside the Azerbaijani parliament. Reuters/Aziz Karimov.

AbzasMedia

Editorial | Ilham Aliyev’s attempt to eradicate the free press cannot succeed

by OC Media

•4 min read

After previous rounds of raids, arrests, and repressions, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev is once again moving to eradicate the last vestiges of the country’s free press. But despite his apparent strength, the existence of media organisations like AbzasMedia, currently in the government crosshairs, proves that he cannot succeed. On Monday, Azerbaijani police raided the offices of AbzasMedia and swept up its director, Ulvi Hasanli, as he was on his way to the airport. The following day, edi

Democracy

Editorial | Only decisive action can save Georgia’s democracy

by OC Media

•3 min read

The Russian-style foreign agent law currently being pushed through the Georgian Parliament could spell the beginning of the end for Georgia’s experiment with democracy. Only decisive action, in Georgia and from abroad, can prevent Georgia’s descent into authoritarianism. Unlike some opposition-aligned Georgian media outlets, OC Media has in the past refrained from throwing around labels like ‘pro-Russian’, or ‘authoritarian’, when describing the Georgian Government under the governing Georgian

Editorial

Editorial | Georgia squanders a historic chance

by OC Media

•2 min read

The European Commission’s recommendation to deny Georgia EU candidate status is a disastrous blow to the democratic aspirations of the Georgian people. Unless there is change in Georgia, it is unlikely to be reversed. On 17 June, the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, recommended that Georgia be denied candidate status while suggesting that both Ukraine and Moldova be granted it. They said that if Georgia were to carry out a number of reforms, the EU should then reexamine the

Editorial

Editorial | Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine

by OC Media

•2 min read

Russia’s imperial war against Ukraine is a resurgence of an ideology that should have been left in the dustbin of history. For the Caucasus, as for the whole world, it represents a profound threat. On the morning of 24 February, Russian forces, supported by their Belarusian allies, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This vicious and unprovoked attack could lead to thousands of deaths if not more, thousands of families ripped apart, and untold misery and suffering. It is the attemp

2021 Homophobic Riot in Tbilisi

Editorial | A state-sanctioned attack on Georgia’s free press

by OC Media

•2 min read

A homophobic protest against Tbilisi Pride on 5 July turned into a pogrom against the press. While religious and far-right violence is a cause for concern, the legitimisation and encouragement of such violence by the Government of Georgia is more dangerous still. For the first time in our history on 5 July, OC Media’s management instructed our staff not to openly display their press credentials — to hide our identities as journalists. Identifying oneself as a journalist is, in general, a ke