
According to the PM, in general, there is no such practice of inviting the OSCE/ODIHR to monitor local elections.“There are some exceptions, like in 2022, because these elections were related to the topic of parliamentary elections. There are cases when the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission is invited to monitor local elections as an exception. According to the standard practice, the mission is invited to observe the parliamentary elections.Therefore, we believe that it is not worth overloading them with local elections. Municipal elections will be held in a healthy form. The OSCE/ODIHR observed parliamentary elections, prepared its opinion, but nobody got interested in the report. Today, these people urge us to invite the mission,” he said.The British Embassy in Georgia called on the Georgian government to extend an invitation to ODIHR/OSCE to observe October’s municipal elections and take forward all recommendations in ODIHR’s final report on the 2024 parliamentary election.
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According to the statement, this commitment is set out in the Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which both Governments signed in 2019.“Article 4 of the Agreement commits the parties to cooperation on increasing the stability and effectiveness of democratic institutions and the rule of law; on ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; on making further progress on judicial and legal reform. Article 341 of the Agreement also commits both sides to ensure the involvement of civil society in UK-Georgia relations and to facilitate an enabling environment for the development of civil society.It is on this basis that for many years the UK has supported civil society in Georgia, including voter education activities, funding for local election observation groups working to internationally approved standards and contributed to successive ODIHR/OSCE monitoring missions in Georgia.The Georgian government itself previously supported this activity and we reject its current description as funding ‘propaganda and extremism’. Nothing could be further from the truth. Georgian legislation makes provision for citizen monitoring, which is an important part of professional and transparent scrutiny of elections.We encourage the Georgian Government to extend an invitation to ODIHR/OSCE to observe October’s municipal elections and take forward all recommendations in ODIHR’s final report on the 2024 parliamentary election.The hopes and aspirations of the Georgian people are for democracy and freedom, and we hope that UK-Georgia co-operation, as well as Georgia’s co-operation with European institutions, will further contribute to those goals,” reads the statement.
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“On June 17, Razhden Kuprashvili’s bureau began to enforce anti-constitutional Russian laws through the Murusidze court. They demand from us, human rights defenders, without legal grounds, to hand over personal information of citizens under our protection – victims of torture, women victims of violence, pupils, students, teachers, pensioners, disabled people, entrepreneurs, whistleblowers, journalists, observers, illegally dismissed civil servants and their family members. In particular, they demand that we hand over personal information, including names, surnames, photographs, financial and banking details, and health information of all those people who trusted us and do not benefit from our help.We are not going to betray the trust of citizens under our protection, even if this means our persecution and imprisonment. We will not share information about people oppressed by Ivanishvili’s regime with the Russian regime. We will take legal action against these orders. Their goal is clear to us – Ivanishvili is trying to destroy free civil society in Georgia, just as the Bolsheviks did in the 1920s, and the Putin and Lukashenko regimes did in the last decade. We declare once again that we are not going to live by Russian laws, accept the sabotage of Georgia’s European future, and will continue to fight to protect the rights of the Georgian people,” reads the statement.
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As head of the commission Tea Tsulukiani stated before the session, Gakharia has already been notified and is expected to appear for further questioning on June 23. The inquiry will focus on the villages of Chorchani, Tsaghvli, and surrounding areas.“We will re-interrogate Giorgi Gakharia on June 23. The notification procedure has begun and is ongoing to ensure full legal compliance. I hope Mr. Giorgi will appear so we can continue discussing the situation in villages where, according to him, not a single centimeter of land was lost under his decision to place a checkpoint. However, last week, a Tsaghvli resident testified that the entire forest had been taken over, and Russia advanced further into Georgian territory”, - Tsulukiani said.She noted that this contradiction between Gakharia’s statements and local testimony requires further clarification.“In addition to territorial issues, Gakharia will be questioned about the period from his 2021 resignation to the present, including his and his party’s international activities”, - Tsulukiani added.
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Beraia previously led the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance. Born on July 23, 1976, he graduated with honours in Economics from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in 1998.From 2016 to 2025, Beraia served as a member of the 9th, 10th, and 11th convocations of the Parliament of Georgia and also held the position of Deputy Minister of Justice.He succeeds Levan Kakava, who resigned as Head of the Revenue Service on June 16 after serving in the role since 2019.
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During the forum, Zourabichvili held discussions with Czech President Petr Pavel and French Minister for Europe Benjamin Haddad, focusing on the ongoing developments in Georgia.The press service reported that, in the course of these conversations, Salome Zourabichvili spoke about: “the current situation in Georgia, including the widespread repressions carried out by the Georgian Dream government, the imprisonment of political figures, heavy fines, and the large-scale fines imposed on those who oppose or criticize the government’s foreign policy and domestic policies”.
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Earlier, Nika Gvaramia wrote on social media: "Not a single step back! Our homeland is behind us! The oligarchy must fall! Glory to Georgia!".During the trial, the prosecutor's office requested that the preventive measure imposed on Nika Gvaramia, the 30,000-GEL bail, be replaced with imprisonment. The judge granted the prosecutor's request and replaced Gvaramia's bail imposed as a preventive measure with imprisonment.The accused politician did not pay the bail imposed on him within the period established by law.Nika Gvaramia was summoned to give an explanation before the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Parliament of Georgia, where he did not appear. In this regard, he has been charged under Article 349 of the Criminal Code, which refers to "failure to comply with the request of the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Parliament of Georgia", which is punishable by a fine, or imprisonment for a term of up to one year, or deprivation of the right to hold a position or engage in activity for a term of up to three years.Nika Gvaramia was granted bail of 30,000 GEL as a preventive measure, which was set at 50 days. The aforementioned period expired on June 7.Several other politicians have been arrested on charges of failing to appear at the Tsulukiani Commission. Among them: former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, Nika Melia, co-founder of the Akhali party and leader of the Girchi More Freedom party Zura Japaridze.Criminal cases have also been opened against other politicians for failing to appear at the Tsulukiani Commission, who chose to pay bail rather than imprisonment. These are: Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze - 50,000 GEL each, Givi Targamadze - 10,000 GEL, and Giorgi Vashadze - 50,000 GEL.
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“A campaign of hate and contempt is underway in Georgia, and this phenomenon is not unique to our country. Similar externally funded campaigns are taking place in other nations as well, including Hungary. We are closely monitoring these developments and cannot allow such efforts to be successfully planned or carried out.In Georgia, these campaigns are clearly supported by foreign funding, and we will confront them using all legal means. Hatred and contempt hinder the country’s progress, and we have every right—within the bounds of the law—to resist these artificially imposed narratives. There should be no place for such destructive sentiments in Georgian society,” he added.
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“In accordance with subparagraph “a” of paragraph 1 of Article 52 of the Constitution of Georgia and subparagraph “g” of Article 5 of the Law of Georgia “On the Structure, Powers and Procedures of the Government of Georgia”, the candidacy of Tamar Taliashvili shall be submitted to the President of Georgia for appointment to the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the United States of America from July 10, 2025,” reads the document signed by Kobakhidze.Another decree is dated June 9, according to which Irakli Kobakhidze addresses Mikheil Kavelashvili with a proposal regarding the dismissal of Tamar Taliashvili from the position of Permanent Representative of Georgia to the Council of Europe from July 10.According to state media, Taliashvili has already received an agreement from the Trump administration.Who is Tamar Taliashvili? Tamar Taliashvili has been Georgia's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe since October 2022, having previously resigned from her parliamentary seat, which she won in October 2020 under the Georgian Dream parliamentary list. Tamar Taliashvili (two terms) was a member of the Tbilisi City Council from 2014 to 2020, during which time she chaired the Education and Culture Commission. Taliashvili was nominated for the US Secretary of State's Women in Public Service nomination in 2011. Before entering politics, Tamar Taliashvili worked at various times as a legal assurance program manager for the USAID Fiscal Reform Project and as a legal advisor to the German foundation GIZ.
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“Another change in the Ministry of Internal Affairs concerned the Special Tasks Department - Roman Kartsivadze was appointed to the position of Director of the said department,” the information released by the agency says.Against the backdrop of the pro-European protests that began after November 28, 2024, Zviad Kharazishvili has been in the spotlight several times. Once, when he cursed citizens gathered at the rally with a loudspeaker.Also, employees of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have raped participants of the rally and journalists. No one has been punished so far.This fact was followed by the sanctioning of “Khareba” by a number of countries. Among them, he was sanctioned by the US and Great Britain.According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the new Minister of Internal Affairs, Gela Geladze, has a new deputy - Mariam Tabatadze has been appointed to the vacant position, who will head the economic and logistics departments, as well as the LEPL Health Care Service.
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