Mamuka Bakhtadze

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Then Georgian Dream Chair Bidzina Ivanishvili presenting Giorgi Gakharia as candidate for PM on 3 September 2019. Photo: Georgian Dream

2019 Georgia Club Raids

Opposition and activists rally against Gakharia as Georgia’s next PM

by OC Media

•6 min read

Controversial Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia is slated to become the country’s next prime minister, the fifth under the rule of Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party. The ‘Shame!’ campaign by the For Freedom group, which has been demanding Gakharia’s resignation since June, called on people to protest his nomination for prime minister, which was unveiled earlier on Tuesday by Georgian Dream Chair Bidzina Ivanishvili. ‘It’s a slap into the face of so

Bidzina Ivanishvili

Georgian Prime Minister resigns

by OC Media

•4 min read

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has announced his resignation in a post on Facebook. According to Georgian Dream officials, his successor will be announced on Tuesday. Bakhtadze announced he was stepping down in a lengthy post on Monday. He is the fourth Prime Minister to resign since Georgian Dream came to power in 2012. He served in the post for 14 months, prior to that he had served as the country’s Finance Minister. ‘The strategic framework for the country’s development h

Georgia

Georgia urges international community to react to vulgar tirade against Putin on Rustavi 2

by OC Media

•3 min read

Georgia’s Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to ‘assess’ a vulgar rant against Russian President Vladimir Putin aired on opposition-leaning TV station Rustavi 2. On 7 July, Rustavi 2 anchor Giorgi Gabunia opened his weekly Postscriptum politics show with a minute-long profanity-laden tirade against the Russian president. ‘You’re a stinky occupier […] Go fuck yourself together with your slaves. Fuck your mummy. Oh, your mum is dead? Oh, it’s so sad; no way. Let her

Georgia

Tbilisi Pride cancelled after location leaks online

by OC Media

•7 min read

Georgia’s first queer pride march, Tbilisi Pride, was cancelled on Monday after the location of the event was leaked online. Organisers announced on Sunday evening that the march would take place in an undisclosed location the following morning. However, they took the decision to cancel the event after screenshots from a secret Facebook group organising the event revealing the location, in front of the Interior Ministry, were posted online by homophobic groups. Several homophobic ultrac

Abkhazia

Russian MP’s appearance in Georgian Parliament sparks protests across Georgia

by OC Media

•3 min read

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. Russian MP Sergey Gavrilov, a member of the Communist Party, was visiting Georgia together with colleagues to participate in the 26th G

A demonstration demanding police protection for the planned 2019 Tbilisi Pride. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

Georgia

Tbilisi Pride evacuates office after ‘receiving death threats’

by OC Media

•2 min read

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. On 19 June, Giorgi Tabagari and Tamaz Sozashvili, both organisers of Georgia’s first queer pride, posted screenshots online on Wednesday of messages they said they received. ‘You are still holding the pride right? I know where your office is and where your home is. I’ll cut

Davit Sergeenko

Georgia’s ‘most popular’ minister resigns

by OC Media

•4 min read

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. Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze announced the news at a press briefing on 18 June, with Sergeenko and his successor by his side. Sergeenko will be replaced by Ekaterine Tikaradze, the CEO of Dostakari, the owner of the main hospital in the Sachkhere Distri