Zurab Dzhaparidze, one of the leaders of the “Coalition for Change” opposing the Georgian Dream regime, has been arrested for refusing to pay a fine imposed on him for failing to appear before a parliamentary inquiry commission he considers “illegitimate” due to electoral fraud. “If people refused to live in lies, the regime would collapse instantly,” he declared.
Kobakhidze's government avoids mentioning the Russians on the anniversary of the harsh Soviet repression. Former president Zurabishvili accuses ‘anonymous foreign forces’ of the massacre. Relatives of demonstrators arrested during pro-European marches in recent months gather at the victims' memorial.
Irakli Kobakhidze's visit to the Uzbek capital was an opportunity to strengthen cooperation projects between the two countries. The objective: to rapidly increase the volume of trade to one billion dollars.
For more than two months, Tbilisi has been protesting against the elections manipulated by the Georgian Dream, and the repression is getting tougher. The testimonies of those who ended up behind bars collected by Ekho Kavkaza: ‘Even among policemen, many are not happy with what is happening in our country’.
On 29 December, the mandate of President Salome Zurabišvili expires. She supports the popular protests that have been going on for three weeks against fraud in the elections won by the Georgian Dream, which has ‘frozen’ the European integration project. He is calling for new elections to be called by then, while Prime Minister Iraklij Kobakhidze is threatening to open criminal proceedings against him.
A long report by Article18, CSW, Open Doors and Middle East Concern raises the issue. The future for migrants is uncertain with abuse and violence potentially waiting for them should they return to Iran. In 2023, 20 per cent of asylum seekers in Georgia came from Iran, 90 per cent fleeing after converting to Christianity.
