The Daily Beat: 21 August
Bidzina Ivanishvili, flanked by the Georgian Dream leadership, addressed supporters from Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital and religious center, on August 21. They hammered home the campaign messages articulated in the ruling party’s recent statement. They call for evicting the United National Movement, “all of its successors and affiliates” from the political scene, cracking down on LGBT in the name of upholding traditional values and protecting children, and preparing to change Georgia’s constitutional order for the potential, but possible Constitutional changes that may be required to restore country’s territorial integrity.
Human Rights Watch, an international human rights watchdog, called out the Georgian government for the lack of accountability and artificial delays in investigations of violent attacks against government critics. In a report published on August 20, the organization stressed that impunity for these attacks risks fueling further political violence and instability ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections in October 2024.
The de facto state security service of Russian-occupied Abkhazia arrested three Georgian citizens in Gali district for allegedly assisting others in “illegal border crossing.” Two of the detainees have been identified by Sokhumi as Remiko Chitanava (b. 1964) and Murtaz Chitanava (b. 1967). The third arrested Georgian is reportedly Archil Sakania. All three, residents of the village of Otobaia in the occupied Gali district, were sent to two months’ pre-trial detention on charges of “organizing illegal migration,” Georgian State Security Service (SSSG) reported on August 21, citing the de facto Sokhumi authorities.
Georgian citizen was illegally detained by Russian occupation forces near the occupied town of Akhalgori, inoccupied Tskhinvali Region, the Georgian State Security Service reported on August 21. In keeping with standard procedure, the SSSG said it immediately activated the incident hotline operated by the EU Monitoring Mission. The Geneva International Discussions (GID) Co-Chairs and international partners have also been informed. Officials say measures are taken to ensure the quickest possible release of the Georgian citizen.
The Tbilisi City Court has ordered the Rustavi 2 TV channel to compensate its former journalist Natia Trapaidze, according to Transparency International-Georgia, which defended the journalist’s interests in court. Trapaidze left Rustavi 2 in August 2019, becoming one of many journalists who left/were dismissed after businessman Kibar Khalvashi regained ownership of Rustavi 2 on July 18, 2019, following the European Court of Human Rights ruling.
In 2024, more than 200 students will enroll in Russia’s “best universities,” according to the Russian Interests Section at the Swiss Embassy in Georgia. “As there are only a couple of weeks left before the start of the academic year, it is high time to get visas. Most prospective students have already received telexes from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or invitations from the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the section said in its August 21 statement on Telegram.
