The Daily Beat: 22 January
At a special briefing, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili lashed out at the Tolerance Center, SovLab, other CSOs, and USAID over Stalin’s image in Holy Trinity Cathedral, accusing them of disinformation, manipulation, and attacks on the “Church and its parish.” Referring to his own earlier claims, Papuashvili said, “This is not the first time USAID finds itself in the epicenter of scandal linked to the program it funds” and that he “expects that the leadership of USAID would soon bring clarity into this issue and act in the best interests of the American and Georgian people.”
In an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili asserted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, and MEPs made false accusations against Georgia, lying about the alleged torture of ex-President Saakashvili. Papuashvili cited the recent CPT (the Council of Europe Treaty Body against Torture) report on Saakashvili’s health in support of his claims.
A fire in the exhibition hall of the “artists’ union” of the occupied Abkhazia destroyed the works of Abkhaz painters. According to local media, more than four thousand works were lost due to the fire, and only up to 200 works could be saved. The gallery chief, Suram Sakania, said the facility had suffered “irreparable damage.” The incident provoked outrage and criticism of the de-facto authorities for their negligence and irresponsible attitude towards the gallery, as well as criticism of the de-facto leader of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, who reportedly went to Stalin’s dacha with his team to celebrate the holidays shortly after the fire.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau announced its intention to verify the asset declarations of 300 public officials, including Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, the ruling Georgian Dream party chair Irakli Kobakhidze, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. The Bureau also plans to probe into the asset declarations of the cabinet members, deputy ministers, and MPs, citing the “high public interest and the high risk of corruption.” According to the Bureau’s press release, a special independent commission comprised of civil society representatives drew up the list of public officials.
The Human Rights Center (HRC), a local CSO, published an executive report on Monitoring Assemblies and Manifestations in Georgia. Based on the monitoring of 15 protests held in the capital, Tbilisi, the report speaks of law violations and human rights abuses throughout the year. The violation of national and international laws during the dispersal of the rallies with special means, the breach of the administrative detention rights of those detained during the rally, and the mobilization of a disproportionate number of police officers at the rallies were among the report’s main findings.
The Data of the Day
The National Statistics Office published preliminary data indicating the increase in the country’s foreign trade by 12.5% in 2023 compared to the previous year, totaling USD 21.53 billion in value. In 2023, exports from Georgia increased by 9.1% to USD 6.09 billion, while imports rose by 14.0% to USD 15.44 billion. The same data suggests that Turkey was Georgia’s largest trade partner, with USD 2.98 billion in trade volume, followed by Russia with USD 2.40 billion, the United States with USD 2.05 billion, China with USD 1.64 billion, and Azerbaijan with USD 1.52 billion.
