The Daily Beat: 1 May
On the 155th day of protests, which coincided with International Labor Day, 10 independent trade unions and protesters gathered for a solidarity rally in Tbilisi, marching from Orbeliani Square to the government administration and later in the evening to Rustaveli Avenue near the parliament, once again blocking the avenue. “Workers build Georgia!” “Freedom, equality, solidarity!” the demonstrators chanted. For more updates on the Georgian resistance, follow our live blog.
Grigol Gegelia of the opposition coalition Strong Georgia claimed that the Foreign Ministry (MFA) plans to abolish the Directorate General for European Integration and dismiss around 250 employees under the guise of reorganization. According to Gegelia, the MFA employees targeted were those who signed a joint statement at the end of last year supporting Georgia’s European Union integration and criticized the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party’s decision to halt the EU accession process.
Civil.ge requested a comment from the Ministry regarding reports of a reorganization involving the abolition of the stand-alone Directorate General for European Integration and potential layoffs. In response, the Ministry stated, “The information circulating about the abolishment of the Directorate General for European Integration within the Ministry is not true.”
The Tbilisi City Court ordered Giorgi Bachiashvili, a former aide to billionaire and Georgian Dream party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, to pay him 9,000 bitcoins, valued at approximately USD 867 million at the current rate. Bachiashvili, who left Georgia on March 9 in violation of bail conditions, is now in exile and has seven days to pay before authorities start seizing his and his family’s property.
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) has named Levan Natroshvili as its new executive director, following the end of Nino Dolidze’s term. ISFED, a prominent local watchdog, has played a key role in promoting electoral transparency in Georgia. In recent years, however, the organization has come under repeated criticism from the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The European People’s Party (EPP) adopted a resolution at its congress in Valencia, urging coordinated sanctions against the GD party founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, including cutting off Cartu Bank, of which he is the owner, from the SWIFT and Visa/MasterCard networks. It also called on international bodies not to recognize the legitimacy of Georgian Dream’s one-party parliament or its “appointed president,” further calling on the GD government to hold new parliamentary elections.
On May 1, Russia launched direct, regular flights to the occupied Abkhazia, drawing condemnation from Tbilisi for violating international norms and Georgian law. According to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, UVT Aero operated the first flight from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport to Sokhumi, two days ahead of schedule, “due to high demand.” The flight, originally scheduled for May 3, marks the first official air service between Russia and the occupied Georgian region.
On April 30, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted its twelfth decision under the agenda item “The Council of Europe and the Conflict in Georgia,” reiterating its firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and condemning the continued occupation of the regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation. The decision calls on Russia to fully and unconditionally withdraw its military forces from the Georgian territory and comply with its international obligations.