OC Media

OC Media

Editorial | I/We are Golunov, and Geriyev, and Kochesoko…

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The arrest of Meduza jour­nal­ist Ivan Golunov mirrors the treatment of gov­ern­ment critics in the North Caucasus. The per­se­cu­tion of jour­nal­ists and gov­ern­ment critics in Russia must end — including those under pressure in the North Caucasus. [Read more…]

Rustavi 2 shareholder sues Gvaramia and other shareholders

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Nika Gvaramia (/Rustavi 2)

The director of oppo­si­tion-leaning TV channel Rustavi 2 has accused the Georgian gov­ern­ment of attacking the channel’s editorial policy after one of the company’s share­hold­ers launched a ₾28 million ($10 million) legal dispute against him and other share­hold­ers. [Read more…]

Proposed Georgian defamation law ‘puts freedom of speech at risk’

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Tbilisi City Court (Dato Parulava / OC Media)

Several Georgian media advocacy groups have warned that a proposed defama­tion law put forward by the president could put freedom of speech in the country at risk. The groups pointed out that there are already legal mech­a­nisms in place against defama­tion, and that any new restric­tions would ‘endanger Georgia’s demo­c­ra­t­ic devel­op­ment’. [Read more…]

Secret audio recordings suggest racket in Georgian Government

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‘Hands off Iberia TV’, employees of the Iberia TV organised a protest at the gov­ern­ment office on 10 September. (Mari Nikuradze /OC Media)

A secret audio recording released on Friday suggests that former Georgian sports minister Levan Kipiani attempted to extort expensive cars for other ministers from Omega Group, a business group that owns local TV channel Iberia TV. The authen­tic­i­ty of the recording has not yet been verified, but this is the second secret audio recording released in recent weeks sug­gest­ing the gov­ern­ment is applying pressure on Omega Group. [Read more…]

South Ossetian court: prosecutors committed ‘procedural violations’ against journalist Mearakishvili

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Tamar Mear­ak­ishvili (/OC Media)

A South Ossetian court has ruled that the local prosecutor’s office committed pro­ce­dur­al vio­la­tions when dis­miss­ing a complaint by jour­nal­ist Tamara Mear­ak­ishvili. Mear­ak­ishvili told OC Media she had com­plained regarding the ‘inaction of the general prosecutor’s office’ while inves­ti­gat­ing her for slander. [Read more…]

Georgian leaders fire back after Freedom House criticism on democracy

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(OC Media)

Leaders from the ruling Georgian Dream party have crit­i­cised American rights watchdog Freedom House, for sug­gest­ing democracy declined in the country in 2017. ‘Absurd, unob­jec­tive and amusing’ were some of the words PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Par­lia­ment chairman Irakli Kobakhidze used to describe their 2018 Nations in Transit report, which said informal gov­er­nance was ‘one of the key features of GD’s rule’. [Read more…]

Freedom House: Democracy declines across the Caucasus

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(Freedom House)

Democracy declines in the Caucasus with ‘half-hearted reforms’ in Georgia, improper inves­ti­ga­tion of high-level cor­rup­tion in Armenia, ‘deeply entrenched’ author­i­tar­i­an­ism in Azer­bai­jan, and a crackdown on queer people in the North Caucasus, according to American right group Freedom House’s Nations in Transit 2018 report. [Read more…]

Armenian parliament bans reporters from Yerevan City Council

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Marina Khacha­tryan during the incident at the Yerevan City Hall (Screen­shot /Azatutyun)

Armenia has passed a law banning reporters from attending Yerevan City Council. The law comes just weeks after reporters captured the physical assault of two female coun­cil­lors in the council chamber. [Read more…]

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