Russian Duma MP Sergey Gavrilov addressing the Georgian parliament. (1TV)
The appearance of a Russian Duma MP in the Georgian Parliamentary chair seat has triggered protests across Georgia as politicians from both opposition and ruling parties condemned the action. Sergey Gavrilov, who was escorted out of parliament, warned that ‘negotiations on humanitarian-economic issues between the two countries may fail’ due to the incident. [Read more…]
Queer rights activists calling for police protection for Tbilisi Pride on 14 June. (Mari Nikuradze / OC Media)
The organisers of Tbilisi Pride have evacuated their office after two of them received death threats from unidentified numbers. Several ultra-conservative groups organised marches in Tbilisi on Wednesday against Pride. [Read more…]
Avtandil Mammadov at a protest in May calling for the release of Afgan Mukhtarli. (Mari Nikuradze / OC Media)
An Azerbaijani activist being sought by Azerbaijan via Interpol has been arrested in Georgia, where he was seeking asylum. Azerbaijan has accused him of fraud while his lawyer said he was being persecuted for his criticism of the government. [Read more…]
Davit Sergeenko (Health Ministry photo)
Georgia’s Minister of Health, Labour, and Social Affairs, Davit Sergeenko, has resigned from the government. Sergeenko was known as one of the most popular politicians in the country, regularly coming out on top in public opinion polls. [Read more…]
(Illustration: Dato Parulava)
Giorgi Ptskialadze is a spokesperson and executive committee member of the Georgian Young Greens. He has been involved in queer, feminist, left-wing, and green activism since 2017.
With its focus on personal freedom, Tbilisi Pride fits well into a liberal system in which queer people are used as tools in bigger political games and social solidarity is fast eroding. There can be no equality in Georgia as long as this system stands. [Read more…]
Protest of queer rights activists on 14 June 2019 at the government office. (Mari Nikuradze / OC Media)
Georgia’s Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has said that the queer rights are not a ‘problematic issue’ in Georgia, despite a homophobic mob surrounding and attempting to attack a small gathering of queer rights activists last week. [Read more…]
(Illustration: Dato Parulava; photo: Dina Oganova)
Giorgi Tabagari is a queer activist from Tbilisi and one of the organisers of Tbilisi Pride. He has worked for a number of local and international organisations across Europe, primarily focusing on the media, queer human rights, and EU affairs.
The worsening rights situation has forced many queer Georgians to leave the country. Georgian politicians and civil society need to make a choice, do they want a western, or a Russian-style democracy. [Read more…]
‘Woman's labour is invisible labour.’ (Mari Nikuradze / OC Media)
Research by CRRC-Georgia suggests people are less likely to understand what feminism is and have a less positive view of it than the other similar terms about gender equality. [Read more…]
(Photo: Mari Nikuradze / OC Media)
A small impromptu gathering of queer rights activists calling for police protection for next week’s Tbilisi Pride led to a six-and-a-half-hour stand-off with homophobic counter-protesters. The activists were eventually evacuated by police in the early hours of Saturday morning. [Read more…]
(Mari Nikuradze / OC Media)
Georgia’s parliament is to discuss a new bill regulating hate speech on television. The controversial draft law, deemed ‘dangerous for freedom of speech’ by media advocacy groups, would allow televised ‘hate speech’ to be appealed through the courts or to Georgia's Communication Commission. [Read more…]
