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Opinion | Labelling Georgia’s far right ‘pro-Russian’ is reductionist and counterproductive

13 August 2018 by Shota Kincha

‘March of Georgians’ in Tbilisi on 14 July 2017 (Luka Pertaia/OC Media)

Shota Kincha is OC Media’s staff writer.

Georgia’s liberal rights groups, neolib­er­al political parties, and their sup­port­ers in the media have con­sis­tent­ly tried to discredit neo-nation­al­ists by simply labelling them ‘pro-Russian’ — a misguided claim that only mirrors the opposite claim that rights groups follow an anti-Georgian ‘Soros agenda’. To address growing far-right author­i­tar­i­an­ism in Georgia, the under­ly­ing social and economic roots of the problem need to be addressed, as well as the legacy of author­i­tar­i­an­ism of the previous ruling class. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Opinion & Analysis Tagged With: conservative groups, discrimination, far-right, georgia, March of Georgians, national movement, neo-nazi, neo-nazi groups, propaganda, russia, tbilisi

Marneuli mayor and MP charged with inhuman treatment and assault

13 June 2018 by OC Media

Mayor Temur Abazov and MP Azer Suleimanov (Facebook)

The mayor of Marneuli, in southern Georgia, and an MP have been charged with inhumane and degrading treatment and assault respec­tive­ly. Mayor Temur Abazov and MP Azer Suleimanov were charged on Wednesday after videos were posted on Facebook appearing to show a man being forced to wipe his own urine on his face and apologise for insulting ruling party officials. [Read more…]

Filed Under: News Stories Tagged With: georgia, georgian dream, humiliation, inhumane treatment, marneuli, mayor, mistreatment, mp, national movement

ECHR: Georgia violated rights of former PM Merabishvili

29 November 2017 by OC Media

Vano Mer­abishvili (inter­press­news)

The Grand Chamber of the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Georgian author­i­ties violated two articles of the European Con­ven­tion on Human Rights  in their treatment of former Prime Minister Vano Mer­abishvili while in detention. However, the court stopped short of ruling that the charges against him were polit­i­cal­ly motivated, as Merabishvili’s lawyers claimed. [Read more…]

Filed Under: News Stories Tagged With: echr, european georgia, georgia, national movement, trial, unm, vano merabishvili

Kaladze elected Tbilisi Mayor as Georgian Dream wins landslide nationwide

23 October 2017 by OC Media

(Mari Nikuradze /OC Media)

Kakha Kaladze has been elected Mayor of Tbilisi in Georgia’s local elections. The ruling Georgian Dream party won polls through­out the country, coming first in all 64 cities and munic­i­pal­i­ties electing mayors. [Read more…]

Filed Under: News Stories Tagged With: aleko elisashvili, election, elene khoshtaria, georgia, georgian dream, kakhi kaladze, local election, national movement, tbilisi

[Opinion] Lack of care and forethought hold back Tbilisi’s development projects

20 October 2017 by Irakli Zhvania

Renovated Pekini Street (/Tbilisi City Hall)

Irakli Zhvania is an architect and urban designer con­sult­ing for a number of local and inter­na­tion­al organ­i­sa­tions. He pre­vi­ous­ly taught the history and theory of city planning.

Tbilisi and its inhab­i­tants are accus­tomed to major ren­o­va­tions at election times — a ‘tradition’ for politi­cians and city admin­is­tra­tions. Such timely expres­sions of care for the city started under the United National Movement and have continued with Georgian Dream. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Opinion & Analysis Tagged With: aghmashenebeli, city, city planning, development, election, georgia, georgian dream, national movement, pekini, renovation, tbilisi, urbanisation

Georgia’s local elections explained

20 October 2017 by Luka Pertaia

Par­lia­ment election in 2016 (Mari Nikuradze /DF Watch)

Georgians will head to polls on Saturday to elect 59 municipal and district heads (gamgebeli) and five mayors — in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Poti, and Rustavi. Voters will also elect 2,058 members of 64 local councils (sakre­bu­los). Those elected will serve four years in office. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Opinion & Analysis Tagged With: aleksandre elisashvili, election, elections, elene khoshtaria, european georgia, georgia, georgian dream, giorgi vashadze, kakhi kaladze, local election, national movement, rustavi 2, unm, zaal udumashvili

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Opinion | Accepting our past is the only way we can move forward

Opinion | Accepting our past is the only way we can move forward

Javid Agha

In Azer­bai­jan, as in Armenia, remem­brance of the victims of past atroc­i­ties often takes on a one-sided nature.

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