Latest from OC Media
OC Media
a day ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Abkhazian and Syrian foreign ministers discuss trade in Damascus
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Abkhazian Foreign Minister Oleg Bartsits has met with his Syrian counterpart Assad al-Shaibani in Damascus where they discussed developing trade via the sea. While Abkhazia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the visit, neither the Syrian Foreign Ministry nor official Syrian news agencies have reported on it. The two foreign ministers met in Damascus on Thursday. According to a statement issued by the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry, the two discussed Abkhazian–Syrian cooperation and current affairs. Bartsits thanked al-Shaibani for his warm welcome and Syria's 'clear and unambiguous position' on issues pertaining to Abkhazia. The two additionally discussed developing transport and logistics infrastructure using sea ports to create 'preconditions for the development of trade and business'. In the statement, the ministry announced that Abkhazia would be taking part in the 62nd Damascus International Fair between 27 August and 5 September. Following the meeting, Bartsits 'presented valuable gifts' to al-Shaibani and invited him to visit Abkhazia — an invitation he also extended to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Advertisement Syria under former President Bashar al-Assad, a key ally of Moscow, was one of the handful of countries to have recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia's independence. However, since the fall of al-Assad's regime, Georgia appears to have increased diplomatic efforts to persuade Syria to drop its recognition of the two. According to the Georgian Parliament, the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, Nikoloz Samkharadze, met with his Turkish counterpart Fuat Oktay on 18 June, during which he provided Oktay with 'an update on the situation in the occupied regions of Georgia and asked for his assistance in mediating with the newly formed Syrian government' to recall its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In early June, The UN's General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the right of return for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with a record number of 107 countries voting in favour. Syria, which had routinely voted against the resolution during the regime of al-Assad, abstained.
OC Media
a day ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Georgian Parliament passes new amendments to migration laws
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member The Georgian Parliament has approved a legislative package of amendments that mainly concern foreigners who commit crimes or overstay, as well as the procedure for obtaining asylum. The legislative package of amendments concerning international protection, authored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was unanimously adopted on Thursday. Alongside other laws, the amendments also affected the criminal code and the code of administrative offences. According to the amendments, a new type of punishment will be added to the Georgian criminal code, requiring the expulsion of a foreigner from Georgia and a ban on entry into Georgia for a specific period of time. Similarly, a new administrative penalty will be introduced in the code of administrative offences, featuring the same punishment. Deportation of foreigners is foreseen for a period of two to ten years for minor criminal offences, and for five to twenty years or indefinitely for serious and especially serious crimes. Under the newly adopted law, the decision on deportation will be made by the court. As for administrative offenses, the period of deportation ranges from six months to five years. For example, deportation for a period of up to three years is allowed for petty hooliganism, disobedience to the Georgian police, and insulting an officeholder. These articles are frequently used to arrest and fine government critics in Georgia. In administrative matters too, the court will be required to make the decision. Both the amendments to the criminal and administrative codes specify that deportation shall not be applied to foreigners when they are deported to a country where they are persecuted, including for their political beliefs, as well as for reasons related to peacekeeping, 'progressive social and political' activities, scientific and creative work. The risk of life and health or potential torture are among the exceptions as well. In addition, the amendments will increase fines for foreigners who violate the rules of stay in the country, while the procedure for deporting foreigners residing illegally in Georgia will be simplified. Advertisement According to the ministry, the proposed amendments will also introduce a new mechanism under which, 'in cases where a foreigner's entry into the country poses a threat to national security, their asylum application will be reviewed at the Georgian state border without allowing them to enter the territory'. Among the amendments, the ministry also highlighted the reduction of deadlines for reviewing and appealing asylum applications, as well as the restriction of residence permits for foreigners against whom deportation proceedings have been initiated or a decision to deport from Georgia has been made. The ministry previously stated that the amendments were prepared to 'improve the fight against illegal migration and refine regulations related to the granting of asylum'. They additionally claimed that the legislation was developed with the directives of the European Parliament and Council. Some of the legislative amendments will enter into force upon publication, while others take effect in the fall of 2025 — including the changes to the Administrative and Criminal Codes, coming into effect on 1 October. Currently, citizens from over 90 countries receive visa-free entry to Georgia for a period of one year, which resets every time one leaves the country and reenters. There are also few ostensible restrictions on what one can do in Georgia within the one-year period, whether that be traveling, working, or studying.
OC Media
2 days ago
- Politics
- OC Media
US Border Patrol announces arrest of suspected Georgian underworld figure in New York City
Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member The US Border Patrol (USBP) has announced that a Georgian national has been arrested in New York City after federal agents 'uncovered damning intel exposing him as a serious public safety threat'. The USBP said that the individual, who was not named but shown with his face uncovered in a photo, had been previously removed from the US and now faces deportation again. 'The man arrived in the US in 2023, claiming credible fear — it's more like he was running from his shady past', the USBP said on Facebook. In addition to two arrests for theft while in the US in 2024, the individual reportedly has an extensive criminal history abroad — the USBP said he had previously been convicted of human trafficking in Greece, and had served nine years of a subsequent 25-year prison sentence. He is also the 'leader of a criminal organisation', although the USBP did not specify which one. Beyond his criminal connections, the USBP said he had 'admitted to working with the Russian KGB'. It is unclear what exactly the USBP meant, as there is no such agency as the 'Russian KGB' — it is a Soviet era name that has not been in use in Russia since 1991. However, in small print at the bottom of the accompanying post was the official reason for his arrest — 're-entry after removal' — the direct connection between his criminal history and his detention was specified, nor why he is considered a 'serious public safety threat'. Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump's second term in January 2025, the US has aggressively cracked down on illegal immigration, leading to the arrest and deportation of tens of thousands of people.
OC Media
2 days ago
- Politics
- OC Media
EU Parliament condemns Azerbaijan's spate of sentences against journalists and researchers
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Three MEPs have issued a statement condemning Azerbaijan's recent sentencing of journalists, researchers, and activists, calling on the EU to impose sanctions on Baku. The statement was issued on Monday. Munir Satouri, the chair of the EU Parliament's Human Rights Subcommittee, Nils Ušakovs, chair of the delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, and Dan Barna, the parliament's permanent rapporteur on Azerbaijan, called the arrests 'a new phase of relentless pressure on critics of the regime' in their statements. 'We recall that parliament repeatedly demanded that any future partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan be made conditional on the release of all political prisoners and the improvement of the human rights situation in the country', the statement read. The parliamentarians said they were 'appalled at the shockingly harsh prison sentences' in politically motivated cases in Azerbaijan given to journalists, researchers, and activists over the last days. 'None of them or the other political prisoners in the country should have been prosecuted in the first place. But the extraordinarily heavy sentences mark yet another escalation in the relentless repression of regime critics in Azerbaijan', the statement read. Throughout June, Azerbaijan sentenced six journalists from Abzas Media, one journalist from RFE/RL, and researcher and OC Media contributor Bahruz Samadov to lengthy prison sentences. Advertisement Samadov was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of treason on 23 June, having attempted to take his own life in prison days before the court's verdict. On 20 June, Abzas Media's staff — its director Ulvi Hasanli, editor-in-chief Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifgizi), journalists Hafiz Babali, Nargiz Absalamova, and Elnara Gasimova, and coordinator and activist Mahammad Kekalov — in addition to RFE/RL's Farid Mehralizada, were all given sentences ranging from seven and a half to nine years on currency smuggling charges. The EU Parliament's statement stressed that the journalists were sentenced 'based on trumped-up charges'. The parliament also condemned Azerbaijan's sentencing of ethnic Talysh researcher Igbal Abilov to 18 years in prison on charges of treason. The resolution has also condemned the sentencing of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu to nine years on charges of fraud and forgery. 'These are just some cases out of the staggering number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, which has grown rapidly to almost 400 over the last couple of years', the statement read. 'We reiterate in this context [the] parliament's calls for EU sanctions to be imposed under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime on responsible Azerbaijani officials and call on the High Representative/Vice-President and the European External Action Service to avoid any steps that would risk emboldening the regime on the current path'. On Monday, the EU's Diplomatic Service issued a brief statement calling the heavy prison sentences a 'worrying development'. 'Independent journalism plays a vital role in upholding transparency, accountability, and informed public discourse', the statement read, adding that the EU 'calls on Azerbaijan to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, uphold its international obligations, and take immediate steps to ensure a safe and enabling environment for all journalists and media workers'. They said the EU 'remains committed to continue the dialogue and cooperation on human rights with Azerbaijan'.
OC Media
2 days ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Two more Georgian politicians receive monthslong prison sentences
Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Tbilisi City Court has jailed opposition leader Nika Melia and a retired opposition figure, GIvi Targamadze, for failing to appear before a parliamentary commission created to investigate the opposition. Nika Melia, the cofounder of the opposition Ahali party, was sentenced to eight months, while former United National Movement (UNM) MP Givi Targamadze received seven months. Both verdicts were announced a few hours apart on Friday. Melia was already in pretrial detention at the time of his sentencing for refusing to pay the bail set by the court in the same case. He did not attend Friday's court hearing. Targamadze, who paid his bail, had remained free until now. He also did not attend the hearing; instead, he went to the police station near his home, where he was handcuffed after the verdict was announced in the courtroom. 'We will inevitably win. In my view, it will happen sooner than I previously thought', added Targamadze as he arrived at the police station, describing the Georgian Dream government as an 'openly occupational regime'. Targamadze retired from politics in 2021, after having served as a UNM MP during its time in power and after Georgian Dream defeated them in 2012. He later joined European Georgia, a party that split off from the UNM, which he left in 2021. Targamadze has been wanted by Russia since 2013 on charges of attempting to organise mass unrest in Moscow. In October 2016, his car was blown up in central Tbilisi. Targamadze and his driver, who were there, survived. Later, the politician claimed that the explosives had been set jointly by Georgian and Russian security services. Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs only announced an arrest of a suspect linked to the bombing in 2024. On Friday, Targamadze suggested that his detention was 'an order of Russia'. A total of eight people have been detained for failing to appear before Georgian Dream's parliamentary commission, which targets the opposition. Of those, six have already been sentenced, while two — another leader of the Ahali party, Nika Gvaramia, and former Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili — are in pretrial detention awaiting their verdicts. Before Targamadze and Melia, Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the Strategy Aghmashenebeli party, was sentenced to seven months on Tuesday. Previously, on Monday, the court sentenced Girchi — More Freedom leader Zurab Japaridze to seven months in prison on the same charges. Just a few hours later, Lelo leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze were given eight months each. The sentences also included a ban from holding public office for two years. Georgia's fifth president Salome Zourabichvili previously described the arrest of opposition politicians as a 'sign of weakness' from the government and the beginning of its end. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze once again attacked the opposition with conspiratorial rhetoric, referring to the detainees as 'agents' of the 'deep state'. The anti-UNM commission The commission was set up in February ostensibly to investigate the UNM's time in power, following repeated pledges by Georgian Dream to punish the formerly ruling party. Initially, its mandate was limited to the UNM's years in government (2003–2012), but it was later expanded to cover the period up to the present day — effectively giving Georgian Dream free reign to target virtually any opposition figure. Numerous opposition figures have boycotted the commission, refusing to recognise its legitimacy, as well as that of the current parliament, which has also been boycotted by major opposition parties following the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections. Criminal cases were launched against those who refused to attend the commission's hearings — if found guilty, those charged could be fined or sentenced to up to a year in prison. They could also be banned from holding public office or engaging in certain activities for up to three years. On Monday, during an interview with the pro-government TV channel Rustavi 2, the commission chair, Georgian Dream MP Tea Tsulukiani, did not rule out filing a second complaint against the detained opposition politicians. According to her, the commission has summoned Khazaradze and Gvaramia for questioning again, and if they do not participate from prison, 'it would probably come as no surprise to anyone if we are obliged to send this second failure-to-appear case back to the Prosecutor's Office'. Georgian Dream has openly declared that it intends to use the findings of the parliamentary commission to file a case with the Constitutional Court seeking to ban the country's main opposition parties — a promise the ruling party made to its voters ahead of the 2024 elections. The ruling party has maintained that all major opposition groups operating in the country are satellites of the UNM and should no longer be allowed to exist.
