
The Daily Beat: 28 January
The PACE Monitoring Committee is proposing two options for the vote at the Assembly on January 29: either not to ratify the credentials of the Georgian delegation or to ratify them with conditions, which include the scheduling of new elections and the release of political prisoners. The ratification decision will in this case be pending a reconsideration at PACE’s April 2025 part-session. The plenary is to decide on the ratification of the credentials of the Georgian delegation tomorrow, January 29.
According to the EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński, Georgia is “in a very deep political crisis” and the EU is “working on the unanimity” to introduce personal sanctions against those who are responsible for the human rights violations and “breakdown of law and order” in the country. Ambassador Herczyński also commented on the case of Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of Batumlebi/Netgazeti, describing it as “absolutely outrageous.”
Opposition-leaning Mtavari TV issued a statement saying that co-founder Zaza Okuashvili is “following a path characteristic of the Russian regime” and is gradually shutting down the channel. The channel stated that under Okuashvili’s instructions, his appointed director, Gogi Kurdadze, has withheld payments to service providers, resulting in the suspension of Mtavari TV’s satellite signal for regional and international audiences. The statement also said that the expiration of the sales house contract has left the channel without advertisements and sponsors.
Magticom, Georgia’s leading telecommunications company and a major mobile provider, reported disruptions to its mobile and fixed internet services on the evening of January 27. These disruptions lasted for several hours. The company reported detecting “suspicious damage” at three locations in Georgia’s Adjara region at 9:21 p.m. on the same day. Magticom has also informed law enforcement authorities about the incident for further investigation.
Protests in support of Mzia Amaghlobeli, the director of the Batumelebi/Netgazeti publication, are ongoing in Tbilisi. This time, demonstrators gathered near the Special Investigation Service (SIS) building to demand her immediate release. The protesters are emphasizing the serious deterioration of her health as she enters the 17th day of a hunger strike. For more updates on the Georgian resistance, visit our live blog.
On January 26, the Director of the Institute of Earth Sciences and National Seismic Monitoring Center of Ilia State University, Tea Godoladze, fled Georgia to the United States. Godoladze has long been an outspoken critic of the GD government’s policies on environmental protection and urban development. She cited fear of imprisonment, which she described as political persecution, as a reason for leaving the country.
On January 27, Tbilisi City Court Judge Davit Mgeliashvili ordered the remand of Russian citizen Anton Chechin in custody until February 7. Chechin faces charges of large-scale drug possession, which could result in a sentence ranging from eight years to life in prison. He claims the prosecution is connected to his activism and participation in pro-European Union protests in Georgia.
Experts on Human Rights appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council urged Georgian authorities to “investigate allegations of excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, torture and ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention of peaceful demonstrators and media workers” during protests in November and December 2024 and to “take concrete measures to prevent further violence.” They said they have written to the Georgian authorities on this matter and will closely monitor the situation.