Latest news with #FelixLight
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
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Second Georgian opposition leader placed in pre-trial detention as crackdown widens
By Felix Light TBILISI (Reuters) -A Georgian court on Friday placed Nika Melia, a leader of the country's main opposition party, in pre-trial detention, amid a widening crackdown against a pro-Western opposition that has staged months of anti-government protests. Melia, a top leader of the Coalition for Change opposition bloc, was detained on Thursday for refusing to appear at a parliamentary inquiry into alleged crimes committed under jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili between 2004 and 2012. The length of the detention was not immediately clear. Last week, a judge placed another leader of the Coalition for Change, Zurab Japaridze, in pre-trial detention for refusing to appear before the inquiry. Friday's hearing was disorderly, with Melia sentenced after being removed from the courtroom for throwing water at the judge from the dock. Previously one of the most pro-Western and democratic of the Soviet Union's successor states, Georgia under the leadership of the Georgian Dream party is accused by the ruling bloc's critics of moving in an authoritarian and pro-Russian direction. Georgian Dream says it still wants the country to eventually join the European Union but wants to preserve what it calls Georgia's traditional values and also to avoid conflict with Russia, its giant neighbour and former imperial ruler. Separately on Friday, another judge jailed a 19-year-old student activist for 12 days for insulting a Georgian Dream lawmaker she had called a "Russian slave" in a cafe this month. Georgian Dream, after winning an election last November that the opposition says was rigged, said it would halt talks on joining the EU till 2028. EU membership has wide support among Georgians and the goal has been enshrined in the constitution. The ruling party's decision to suspend the talks sparked mass street protests, prompting a violent crackdown and large-scale arrests by security forces. Georgian Dream is dominated by billionaire ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is widely seen as Georgia's de facto leader. In December, the United States sanctioned Ivanishvili for what it said were actions aimed at dismantling Georgian democracy for the benefit of Russia.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgian court places opposition leader in pre-trial detention for contempt of parliament
By Felix Light TBILISI (Reuters) -A Georgian court on Thursday placed Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the country's largest opposition party, in pre-trial detention, as the government clamps down on dissent after major protests last year. It was not clear for how long he had been put into custody, according to Georgia's Interpress news agency. Japaridze, a prominent leader of the Coalition for Change, which came second in last year's parliamentary election, had refused to appear at a parliamentary inquiry into alleged crimes committed under jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili, between 2004 and 2012. Japaridze had been held in contempt by parliament, and refused to pay bail in order to avoid jail. He and other opposition figures say the inquiry is an illegitimate propaganda exercise by the ruling Georgian Dream party. A baseball cap-wearing libertarian with a following among younger Georgians, Japaridze has been among the most prominent figures at street protests since last year. He has said he carried a gun until his license to do so was revoked by a court amid last year's protests. The ruling came amid a large police presence outside the court building, alongside a protest of opposition supporters. Georgian Dream's powerful founder, billionaire ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has in recent months repeatedly pledged to ban opposition parties for what he says are their links to Saakashvili, who remains deeply divisive among Georgians. Previously one of the most pro-Western and democratic of the Soviet Union's successor states, critics of the Georgian government say the country has in recent years moved in an authoritarian and pro-Russian direction. In November, shortly after a parliamentary election the opposition said was falsified, the ruling party said it would halt European Union accession talks until 2028, abruptly freezing a long-standing and popular national goal that is written into Georgia's constitution. Georgian Dream says it still wants to eventually join the EU, but also wants balanced relations with Russia, which ruled Georgia for around 200 years until 1991. It says the October election, in which it gained a majority of seats in parliament, was free and fair. Georgia and Russia have had no formal diplomatic relations since 2008, when Tbilisi was defeated in the latest in a series of wars with two Russian-backed breakaway provinces.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia's parliament passes law restricting foreign grants to local groups
By Felix Light (Reuters) - Georgia's parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that bans foreign donor organisations from providing grants locally without government consent, amid a growing crackdown on civil society groups in the south Caucasus country. The bill was unanimously approved by lawmakers of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which is regarded as increasingly anti-Western. Opposition parties have boycotted the legislature since an October parliamentary election they say was fraudulent. It requires government approval for monetary or in-kind grants to Georgian organisations and citizens, with violators facing steep fines. It also bans international organisations from arranging events on behalf of Georgian political parties. The bill comes as part of a broader government clampdown on Georgia's pro-Western opposition, including the passage last year of a law requiring organisations which receive money from overseas to register as "foreign agents." Traditionally among the pro-Western and more democratic of the Soviet Union's successor states, Georgia has been gripped by on-and-off large anti-government protests over the past year. In November, the ruling party's decision to freeze European Union membership talks until 2028 provoked an ongoing wave of protests, alongside a violent crackdown by authorities. While it remains an official candidate for EU membership, Georgia's relations with the West have diminished, with the U.S., Britain and several European countries sanctioning top Georgian officials. Georgian Dream says that it still wants Georgia to eventually join the EU, but also advocates balanced relations with Russia and the preservation of traditional values at home. Earlier this week, parliament also passed the first reading of a bill which would give Georgian authorities broad powers to ban opposition parties. Final approval of the bill is not expected until local elections take place later this year.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Armenia calls on Azerbaijan to investigate ceasefire violations on border
By Felix Light (Reuters) - Armenia called on Azerbaijan on Tuesday to investigate ceasefire violations along the two countries' frontier, as a surge of reported incidents of cross-border gunfire raises the prospect of renewed fighting between the long-term rivals. Armenia and Azerbaijan said in March they had agreed the text of a peace treaty to end almost 40 years of conflict over the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which previously had a largely ethnic Armenian population. But since the text of the still-unsigned treaty was agreed on March 13, authorities on both sides have reported ceasefire violations 26 times. Multiple incidents have been reported on several days in the last month. In the five months prior to the treaty announcement only three violations had been reported. Most of the accusations have come from Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev has hinted at renewed military action if Armenia fails to sign a peace treaty. On Monday, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of shooting at the border settlement of Khnatsakh, damaging the village's cultural centre. Azerbaijan called the report "disinformation". Addressing Armenia's parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Azerbaijan should investigate the violations, either with Armenia or with international participation. According to an official transcript of his speech, Pashinyan said that the incidents were: "either a consequence of indiscipline in the armed forces of Azerbaijan, or are aimed at exerting psychological pressure on the population". "The Republic of Armenia calls on the Republic of Azerbaijan to investigate the mentioned cases and take measures to stop them," he said. Both sides consistently deny the other's accusations. Azerbaijan retook Karabakh in 2023, which prompted almost all the territory's 100,000 Armenians to leave. Shortly after, both sides said they were willing to formally end their conflict via a peace treaty, but negotiations have been slow. Azerbaijan has said it will not sign the draft agreed in March until Armenia changes its constitution to remove a reference to Karabakh, which could take until 2026. Azerbaijan has also demanded that Yerevan provide it with a corridor across Armenian territory, linking Baku to its exclave of Nakhchivan and its ally, Turkey. There have been no casualties in the recent ceasefire violations, with no deaths on the roughly 1,000 km (620 mile) frontier since February 2024, when four Armenian soldiers were killed in one incident.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two French journalists denied entry to Georgia after covering protests, says rights group
By Felix Light (Reuters) - Two French journalists have been refused entry to Georgia in recent months, press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said, as the South Caucasus country takes what critics call an authoritarian and pro-Russian turn. RSF said that the two journalists, who it named as freelance photojournalist Jerome Chobeaux and Clement Girardot, a reporter who has worked for Le Monde and Al Jazeera, had been denied entry to Georgia at Tbilisi airport in March and February respectively. Georgia's interior ministry and border police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both journalists had covered street protests and a crackdown that came after Georgia's October parliamentary election, which opposition supporters say was rigged. The journalists did not immediately respond to requests for comment. RSF cited them as saying Georgian border guards had offered no explanation for their expulsions. Georgian authorities say the poll, which saw the ruling Georgian Dream party retain power, was free and fair. Georgian media have reported that several other foreigners, including some long-term residents of Georgia, have been denied entry to the country since the election. Some have linked their entry bans to having attended anti-government protests. In the run-up to the vote, two other Western reporters, one from Switzerland and another from Czechia, were denied entry to the country. Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Georgian border guards have repeatedly denied entry to Russian critics of the Kremlin, including journalists, cultural figures and allies of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Traditionally among the most democratic and pro-Western of the Soviet Union's successor states, Georgia has since the start of the war in Ukraine deepened ties with Russia, blaming Kyiv and its Western backers for the conflict. The shift in policy, which has included a draconian law on "foreign agents", curbs on LGBT rights, and the freezing of Georgia's long-standing European Union membership bid, is widely seen as spearheaded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, an ex-prime minister regarded as the country's de facto leader. Protests against the halt to talks on EU membership, a long-held national goal that is broadly popular among Georgians, have been ongoing since November.
