Thousands of protesters remained on the streets of Tbilisi overnight on May 12 ahead of the final reading of the controversial "foreign agents law" in Georgia's parliament on May 14.
Around 50,000 protesters marched through Georgia's capital on May 11 in the latest of the series of demonstrations against the government's "foreign agents" bill, Deutsche Welle reported.
According to MediaZona, Serhiy Hulko was first arrested on April 3 and detained for 10 days. After his release he was detained again for writing "Glory to Ukraine!" on social media.
Two Georgian volunteers fighting for Ukraine, David Gogadze and Beso Lomidze, have been killed during hostilities in the Avdiivka sector, the Black Eagle unit said on May 7.
The letter said the "continued undemocratic behavior of the Georgian authorities, in particular their aggressiveness in pushing through a 'Russian-style' law on foreign agents, silencing and using force against peaceful demonstrators, has crossed the line."
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili was referring to the controversial foreign agents law, known popularly among its opponents in Georgia as the Russian law, which Georgian Dream is attempting to pass in parliament.
"We are deeply concerned about this legislation - what it could do in terms of stifling dissent and free speech," U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze will not travel to the U.S. because he was invited under the condition that Tbilisi suspend discussions on the controversial "foreign agents" law in parliament, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on May 2.
The injuries were severe enough to require the hospitalization of the eight individuals, one of whom has already been discharged.
Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said that "participants of the rally continued to attack the policemen," in unsubstantiated claims that contradicted both the Kyiv Independent's reporting on the ground and widespread media coverage of the event.
Georgian police on April 30 attacked protesters with tear gas and water cannons outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, where demonstrators gathered to protest the government's controversial "foreign agents" law, Reuters reported.
TBILISI, Georgia – The ruling Georgian Dream party staged a massive rally in Tbilisi on April 29, with tens of thousands of people bussed in from around the country to support the country's democratic backsliding. Party leaders, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, and Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder
On April 28 in Tbilisi, Georgia, an opposition rally opposing the foreign agents law occurred, starting from Republic Square and culminating at the Parliament. Participants chanted slogans denouncing the legislation and projecting messages onto the Parliament building, including “No to the Russian law.”
EU officials have previously strongly suggested that the law's passage would hurt Georgia's chances of becoming a member of the EU.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry responded on April 18 to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's comment that a foreign agents law was needed to defend Georgia against "Ukrainization," condemning the Prime Minister's words as "disturbing."
The legislation was approved by 83 lawmakers of Georgia's 150-member parliament, with opposition lawmakers boycotting the vote.
The Georgian parliament postponed the vote on the first reading of the controversial foreign agent bill to April 17 amid mass protests, local media reported.
"We are seriously concerned. These are legitimate concerns about transparency, which should not be used to justify the restriction of space and the stigmatization of civil society organizations," Pawel Herczynski, the EU's ambassador to Georgia.
The bill, popularly known in Georgia as the "Russian law" for its resemblance to similar legislation passed there, was introduced previously in early 2023 by the Georgian Dream party.
A collaborative investigation by The Insider uncovered evidence linking the mysterious health condition known as the Havana Syndrome to members of Russia's military intelligence agency. GRU Unit 29155 reportedly used directed energy weapons to target overseas U.S. government personnel.
The proposal, which was put forth by Mamuka Mdinaradze, the leader of Georgian Dream's faction in parliament, is the latest in a series of government measures that aim to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Georgia.
The latest diplomatic spat arose after former Georgian Justice Minister Zurab Adeishvili visited Berlin and Brussels as part of a Ukrainian delegation, which the Georgian government said was another incident that "blatantly contradict(s) the traditional friendship established between our two countries and peoples."
Georgian volunteer fighters Nodar Nasirov and Giorgi Gogiashvili have been killed in Ukraine, the Georgian Legion reported on March 9.
Rustavi, a city of about 130,000, is located some 30 kilometers southeast of the capital Tbilisi.
The explosives were allegedly transported by van from Odesa. Georgia's State Security Service said that at least 12 people were involved in the transit of the explosives, including seven Georgians, three Ukrainians, and two Armenians.
Estimates vary, but Georgian media approximates that between 50-60 Georgian soldiers have been killed fighting for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, making it likely the highest death toll of any foreign nationality fighting on the Ukrainian side.
Ukraine has been wreaking havoc on Russia’s navy in the Black Sea through the use of new homemade sea drones and foreign-supplied cruise missiles. As a result of these suffocating attacks, Russia has been forced to have the bulk of its navy retreat from Sevastopol — a port that was
Aside from the capital city of Tbilisi, where 40 miles away Russian occupying troops are stationed in Georgia’s South Ossetia region, the danger of unjust peace is also felt in Batumi, the country’s tourist hotspot on the Black Sea coast. Over the horizon lies Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea.
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