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Awaiting Georgia’s uncertain 4 October

•2 min read

On 4 October, two remarkable events are set to unfold in Georgia — the municipal elections and an anti-government demonstration, branded by its initiators as a ‘peaceful revolution’ and a ‘peaceful overthrow’ of Georgian Dream’s rule. I feel uncertain about what exactly to expect from that day, and based on past experiences, I’m not even trying to form any specific expectations. The elections issue has further fractured Georgia’s already fragmented opposition: two major opposition groups and s

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Azerbaijan’s toxic pro-government media cannot coexist with real peace

by Nate Ostiller

•2 min read

The Azerbaijani government’s Media Development Agency released a statement on Tuesday decrying the spread of fake news about the country. The statement cited recent false stories that had gone viral — that Azerbaijan would withdraw from the Eurovision song contest if Israel is banned and that Azerbaijan has been supplying Ukraine with weapons via Sudan. The agency called the stories ‘disinformation’ and called on ‘the international community, media resources, journalists, and public activists [

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For Georgia’s courts, dissent is more dangerous than violence

by Mikheil Gvadzabia

•4 min read

On Wednesday, a Tbilisi court again left teacher and activist Nino Datashvili in pre-trial detention. Criminally charged in June for resisting court bailiffs while supporting detained protesters, she faces up to seven years in prison and remains in custody despite deteriorated spinal condition. That same day, in the same court, the trial of arm wrestler Khatia Vibliani was held. Just days earlier, she had beaten a 14-year-old boy in the street. If convicted, Vibliani could face a maximum of two

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The US dithers while Georgia’s democracy continues to collapse

by Nate Ostiller

•3 min read

The US Helsinki Commission held a hearing yesterday on ‘Georgia’s Anti-American Turn’, which focused on ‘the global consequences of Georgia’s slide into authoritarianism’. Former President Salome Zourabichvili and former Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli testified at the hearing, which also included debates on ‘US policy options, such as the passage of the bipartisan MEGOBARI Act, to assist the people of Georgia as they seek to maintain their independence and longstanding, mutually beneficial

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Tears, anger, and resolve: how the Georgian public reacted to the sentencing of protesters

by Mariam Nikuradze

•3 min read

Over the course of two days, from 2-3 September, Tbilisi City Court sentenced 20 people from two to two and half years in jail and one protester to eight and a half years in jail on drug charges — another protester was cleared of drug charges. Since the summer, media has been banned from filming inside the courtrooms, court buildings, and courtyards, but since the ban came to force, the practice has been such that the court bailiff and police have been more relaxed on this ban in the courtyard

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What is the value of a genocidal tyrant recognising the genocide of my people?

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•2 min read

A day after the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in April, I found myself at the Armenian Genocide memorial in Yerevan. Despite it being the day after, there was still a flow of people going up and down the hill where the memorial is located. Many came carrying flowers and taking a quiet moment to reflect on one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tragedies in Armenian history. On display in the park adjacent to the memorial were the flags of countries that officially recognise the Armenia

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The two-faced Khamzat Chimaev

by Elizaveta Chukharova

•2 min read

The first championship belt in Chechnya’s history went to Khamzat Chimaev, a close friend of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, on Saturday. In the main fight of the evening, Chimaev faced South African Dricus du Plessis and scored an emphatic victory. The win was clean, the fight spectacular — but behind it all lay numerous nuances. To begin with, Chimaev, like many other Russian athletes, had long been banned from entering the US. It seems the ban was lifted for him personally thanks to the interve