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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
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 [
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
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
