Mzia Amaghlobeli
Opinion | Mzia Amaghlobeli is a political prisoner
The authorities in Georgia go to extreme lengths to pursue opponents of the government, while giving tacit approval to those who attack such opponents.
Opinion
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Georgia’s EU U-turn
Opinion | Georgian civil society needs to prepare for the worst
As Georgian Dream flaunts its authoritarianism, civil society and its international backers need to dig in for a long fight.
Chechnya
Opinion | Chechen women are speaking up, but is anybody listening?
The first all-women Chechen March highlights how Chechen women are forced to live at the intersection of Islamophobia and xenophobia.
Azerbaijan
Opinion | Jack of all trades, master of none: Azerbaijan seeks renewables to sustain the status quo
Opinion | Jack of all trades, master of none: Azerbaijan seeks renewables to sustain the status quo0:00/6:451× Increasing investments in renewables may seem like a positive change, battling the climate crisis and diversifying Azerbaijan’s oil-dependent economy. Yet, without a decrease in fossil fuel investments and renewables mostly exported, there may not be a change after all. Azerbaijan, an authoritarian petro-state, is hosting COP29, the global conference to grapple with the climate c
Chechnya
Opinion | Chechen volunteer battalions have been abandoned by Ukraine
Despite verbal support for an independent Chechnya, Ukraine has abandoned Chechen fighters who have been fighting on their side against Russia for a decade. Is Russian cultural influence and propaganda the main reason behind this, and if so, what does it mean for Ukraine’s ability to stand against Russian aggression in general? In October 2022, Ukraine’s parliament recognised the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as an independent state that is ‘temporarily’ occupied by Russia, and condemned ‘t
2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections
Opinion | Georgian civil society needs sustained support from the international community
On 26 October, the architect of Georgian authoritarianism, Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, robbed Georgians of their election. Any future government change through elections is ruled out if the status quo persists. An ominous calm pervades the country. It appears as though nothing has changed, yet a looming crisis haunts each home, office, and street, whispering of impending disaster. Yet it is also clear that the election administration has finally dismantled the illusion of democrat
2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections
Opinion | Georgia’s ‘democratic’ institutions are reinforcing autocracy
Georgia’s authoritarian regime uses democratic-seeming institutions to maintain its hold on power and so complicate efforts to resist, as seen recently with their use of the Anti-Corruption Bureau to crack down on election observers. Georgia’s authoritarian regime, constructed by billionaire ruling party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, is a prime case of how democratic institutions can deteriorate, becoming mere facades of democracy while fully enabling the repressive machinery of authoritariani
