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Georgian Dream’s AI-fuelled surveillance is sowing terror among protesters

•3 min read

A sense of privacy in Georgia is quite an abstract concept — especially for socially and politically active people. Concerns that ‘they are listening to us’ along with remarks like ‘I’d rather not say this over the phone’ date back to my own childhood, and even earlier. Even by the time I turned 27, they had not truly gone away. It is not just baseless drama: the fact that the state listens in — at least on certain segments of society — has been confirmed, including in a scandal a few years ago

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What it means to remember a genocide

by Yousef Bardouka

•3 min read

Last Wednesday, I quietly commemorated the 161st anniversary of the Circassian Genocide in Tbilisi, much like I did in the past few years. But as I sat in the OC Media office, editing the news of the day, I could not help but let my mind wander, allowing myself to curiously scan the Telegram channels and Instagram accounts covering Circassian affairs in the North Caucasus just to see what was going down in Nalchik, Maykop, and Cherkessk. I knew the people there would commemorate the genocide a

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Georgian Dream hides its anti-Western course behind EU flags

by Mariam Nikuradze

•4 min read

As Georgia’s Independence Day approaches, construction has begun in Tbilisi to prepare for the celebration. Commemorated on 26 May, the day usually consists of conscripts swearing the traditional oaths in a ceremony on Freedom Square — attended by government officials and their invited guests — as well as various concerts and events across the city and similarly across the country. In addition, the Georgian Parliament building is adorned with banners, decorations which usually include the EU f

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Armenian authorities are choosing the wrong role model

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•2 min read

Armenian authorities are taking steps to introduce new restrictions on media and freedom of speech ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections. At the end of April, Armenia’s Justice Ministry released a series of draft legislative amendments, which, if adopted, would require media outlets — as well as individual social media users — to not only publicly refute or publish a response to insulting or defamatory content, but also to remove such expressions or even the entire publication. The authori

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Russia’s cynical distortion of Victory Day

by Nate Ostiller

•3 min read

On Friday, Russia will hold a grand spectacle in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. The official holiday — arguably the most important non-religious holiday in modern Russia — will feature a parade, and will be attended by several leaders from the Caucasus, including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Abkhazian President Badra Gunba, South Ossetian President Alan Gagloev, and likely the heads of Russian republics in the North Caucas

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Through poetry, Pezeshkian hits back at Azerbaijani irredentism

by Aytan Farhadova

•1 min read

On 28 April, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Azerbaijan, the first such visit by an Iranian president in six years. While only a short trip, the one-day visit was quite eventful. One of the most memorable aspects of the visit was Pezeshkian’s sense of humour. Following his official meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pezeshkian decided to read a poem by Mahamadhuseyn Shahriyar, an Iranian poet of Azerbaijani descent. As Pezeshkian is also an Iranian from the country’s

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Under the red flag with a new design

by Aytan Farhadova

•2 min read

On 22 April, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was met on Tiananmen Square by Chinese President Xi Jinping as Aliyev’s favourite song — ‘Homeland!’ (‘Ey Vətən!’) — played in the background. It was a message to the world that Xi was growing his club of authoritarian leaders. In their one-on-one meeting Xi stressed that China supports Azerbaijan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in continuing to follow a development path that suits its national