Pankisi Clash

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Georgia

New Interior Minister candidate says he would have used more force in Pankisi

by OC Media

•4 min read

Vakhtang Gomelauri, who is poised to become the next Georgian Interior Minister, has told parliament he would have used more force against residents of Pankisi. Both Gomelauri and prospective defence minister Irakli Gharibashvili made controversial statements in front of lawmakers on Thursday during their confirmation hearings. Gomelauri made the comments in relation to clashes between riot police and residents of northeast Georgia’s Pankisi Valley this April. ‘I would have deployed mo

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

Georgia

Pankisi residents wary of post-riot prosecutions

by OC Media

•5 min read

Residents of Pankisi again gathered on Wednesday to condemn the deployment of riot police to the valley over the weekend and calling for local residents not to be prosecuted over the violence that followed. Interior Minister and Vice Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia had earlier vowed to prosecute ‘all those responsible’ for attacking police officers. Violence broke out near the village of Birkiani on Sunday as police and protesters clashed following the resumption of construction on the Kha

Georgia

Video | Pankisi Clash: tensions rise over hydropower in Georgia

by Dato Parulava

•0 min read

Violence broke out in Georgia’s Pankisi Valley on the 21 April after work on a controversial hydropower plant was resumed. In the ensuing battle between riot police and local residents, dozens were injured on both sides.

Editorial

Editorial | Georgia’s show of force in Pankisi was reckless and irresponsible

by OC Media

•5 min read

A pitched battle between protesters and riot police in Georgia’s Pankisi Valley has undone years of work to build trust with a community that has been historically marginalised. The government needs to prioritise a more participatory approach to regional development over business interests. On Sunday, environmental protesters in northeast Georgia’s Pankisi Valley clashed with riot police over the resumption of construction work on a hydropower plant (HPP) — the third in the valley.

Environment

Georgian riot police deploy rubber bullets and tear gas in Pankisi hydropower protest

by OC Media

•5 min read

Riot police have deployed rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters in northeast Georgia’s Pankisi Valley after local residents tried to prevent the resumption of work on a hydropower plant in the valley. Seventeen local residents and 38 police officers required medical attention following clashes between riot police and protesters, a police statement reads. According to the statement, as of Sunday evening, 23 police remained hospitalised. Several hundred inhabitants of the valley