Latest News

    10/07/2025 - 12:00

    19-Year-Old Protester Saba Jikia Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Jail Over ‘Assaulting’ Police

    Saba Jikia, a 19-year-old protester detained during the early weeks of ongoing protests, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison on charges of assaulting a police officer. Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili delivered the verdict on July 10, during a hearing with limited media coverage, just weeks after new restrictions on courtroom recording took effect. “I have to spend my youth in prison,” Jikia told the court in his final remarks, as quoted by…

    Latest Articles

      07/07/2025 - 18:49

      U.S. Ambassador: GD Sent “Threatening, Insulting, Unserious” Letter to Trump Administration

      04/07/2025 - 12:01

      Gakharia Defends Chorchana Checkpoint to Tsulukiani Commission as GD Revisits its Legacy

      02/07/2025 - 14:22

      Dozens Out of Foreign Ministry Amid “Reorganization”

      Newsletters

        Moscow Calling – July 10

        Moscow demands condemnation of “Kyiv’s terrorist attacks,” accuses Merz and London of provocations Russia calls on the international community to…

        Moscow Calling – July 9

        Kiriyenko explains principles of Putin’s personnel policy First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergei Kiriyenko said in…

        Moscow Calling – July 8

        Putin expands military service opportunities for foreigners, retired military personnel Vladimir Putin has signed a decree clarifying the procedure for…

        Moscow Calling – June in Review

        In June 2025, Russian state and pro-Kremlin media continued to build a propaganda narrative centered on the image of Russia…

        Moscow Calling – July 7

        Lavrov: Ukraine has lost its right to territorial integrity In an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Russian Foreign…

        Moscow Calling – July 5

        Russian government has no plans to reinstate the “nationality” field in passports The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has stated…

        Moscow Calling – July 4

        TASS: Britain and other countries refuse to repatriate bodies of their citizens fighting in Ukraine war Several foreign countries have…

        Moscow Calling – July 3

        Putin and Macron held their first telephone conversation in three years Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron…

        Moscow Calling – July 2

        Zakharova: The West is isolating itself yet continuing contacts with Russia Speaking on Sputnik radio, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria…

        Moscow Calling – July 1

        Russia to disconnect mobile communications for foreigners not registered in biometric system Starting July 1, mobile communications will be cut…

        Moscow Calling – June 30

        Medinsky: Russia and Ukraine – one people, separate content for Ukrainian children unnecessary Russia and Ukraine are one people, and…

        Moscow Calling – June 28

        Putin declares an end to “one-sided games” with the West, justifies increased military spending Vladimir Putin said that the “one-sided…

        Years in Review

          Dispatch 2024 | Year of Fireworks

          In what has become a tradition, new years in Georgia begin before January 1. The year 2023 began on December 29, 2022, when People’s Power, the far-right offshoot of Georgian Dream, first announced that it would introduce a law on foreign agents. And 2024 started on December 30, 2023, when Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili – two weeks after Georgia was granted the long-awaited EU candidate status – ominously announced his comeback to formal politics in what would become a harbinger of many other unfortunate returns.  Now, as 2024 draws to a close, what is the event that will inaugurate 2025? Is it sanctioning Ivanishvili on the anniversary of his third coming? Or the departure of President Zurabishvili from her residence into a broader resistance? Or Georgian Dream Mikheil Kavelashvili enacting a myriad of repressive laws on the day of his widely boycotted inauguration? Or whatever will happen on the announced New Year’s Eve protest night on December 31?  With only a few hours to go before the end of the most endless year, there is a feeling that something could still happen to turn the context of the ever-shacking country upside down. And while we are holding our breath, …

          Dispatch 2023 | Bracing for Chaos

          To get a sense of how 2023 went in Georgia, go to Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue. The street has witnessed many highs and lows of independent Georgia and has stayed busy for the past twelve months. Countless shining stars – all blue and gold – covering the main thoroughfare reveal the year’s happy endings. The crowds around the Parliament bring back the memories of numerous massive gatherings – in the same place, but for different reasons. The EU flags proudly displayed on the parliament building take us to times when their absence would stir controversies. Occasional startling noise from explosives and fireworks only reminds us that there used to be more of it, showing the silent change activism can bring. A giant panda figure, awkwardly trying to fit in front of the Christmas tree, hints at all foreign policy uncertainties that Georgia brings into 2024. And then, behind the Christmas tree, there is a cross. The cross, once put there by violent crowds, stands untouched to warn how destructive faith can be when it’s misused – and perhaps also how the greatest perils still lurk behind the trees. As 2023 nears its end, Georgia says goodbye to another rollercoaster year. …

          Dispatch 2022 | Farewell to Masks

          As we slowly roll into the new year, the ending of 2022 in Georgia does not appear to be much different from last December: the country is caught in the continued polarization, with a renewed spotlight on the health of its jailed ex-President; economic hunger here again meets the political one for change; and the blaring horns of traffic jams in Tbilisi scream public discontent. As the music from Christmas celebrations drowns out all unhappy noises for a while, the eternal discussions resurface about the right date to mark Christmas, to best fit our religious, pragmatic, and – most importantly – geopolitical preferences.  And yet, Georgia is bidding farewell to a year that shook us with unthinkable developments with lasting and dramatic impact. In 2022, one global crisis followed another, and Georgia found itself at the center (isn’t it always at the center?) of all new chaos and new opportunities. But all these new things got lodged in older, firmly fixed local narratives and patterns of thought and action. Nini is back to the Dispatch to conclude 2022, review its highlights, and outline the trends to watch for in the coming year. Farewell to Masks, Hello to Arms THE VIRUS …

          Dispatch 2021 | Pandemic and Tumult

          In Georgia, 2021 was a tumultuous year of continued and new crises, but also a year of attempted solutions, many of them with no success and some of them still underway. The year of memorable departures and arrivals, 2021 was of deals sealed and unsealed, unprecedented attacks against media, alleged surveillance leaks, and ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few. The past 12 months also saw an unusual impact of collective actions. Below are some of the most remarkable moments and trends that unfolded over the outgoing year. Ivanishvili Quitting Politics, Again Bidzina Ivanishvili, a Georgian billionaire who founded the Georgian Dream and shortly served as a Prime Minister in 2012-2013, was still the ruling party chairperson as 2021 arrived. But early in January, he stated about quitting politics for good, including giving up his party membership. Days later, he also stated about handing a significant part of his assets to Cartu Foundation, a charity organization he founded. His departure met skepticism for it was not his first time doing so. But Ivanishvili largely remained in shadows for the rest of the year, even though government critics mainly attributed the ruling party’s decisions to its reclusive founder.   Gakharia Leaves, …
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