Latest from OC Media
OC Media
3 hours ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Georgian authorities launch first FARA probe, targeting prominent NGOs
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article The Caucasus is changing — so are we. The future of journalism in the region is grim. Independent voices are under threat — and we're responding by building a newsroom powered by our readers. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member Georgia's Anti-Corruption Bureau has launched inspections against six prominent civil society organisations under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), warning that failure to register under the law is a criminal offence. At a joint press briefing on Friday, the groups said they had received official letters from the bureau on 11 August, describing it as a threat of criminal prosecution. Those targeted were the Civil Society Foundation, the women's rights group Sapari, Transparency International Georgia, the Social Justice Centre, the Media Development Foundation, and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED). The move is the first of its kind since FARA was adopted earlier this year, indicating that unlike the previous foreign agent law, the government intends to enforce the law to target critics. In their letter to the NGOs, seen by OC Media, the Anti-Corruption Bureau claimed the groups may have been engaging in 'political activity' aimed at 'shaping, adopting, or influencing Georgia's domestic or foreign policy', as well as activity driven by the interests of a foreign government or foreign political party. According to the bureau, the inspection mentioned in the letters was based on a possible FARA violation. They added that their inspection aimed to identify individuals required to register as agents and to examine their activities. The bureau asked the organisations to explain why they did not submit a registration application on time. Advertisement 'Due to the failure to submit the registration application to the bureau within the period established by law, the individual is subject to criminal liability', the letter warned. Prominent civil society groups in Georgia, including election watchdogs, human rights groups, and others, have widely rejected the law, publicly vowing not to comply. As part of the inspection, the groups in question are required to explain 'what evidence has been destroyed' in the context of FARA, citing their public statements as the basis for the request. This likely refers to a June remark by Sapari's director, Baia Pataraia, who said that the vast majority of the organisation's archives had already been destroyed to ensure that sensitive information about its beneficiaries — women and children — would not fall into the wrong hands. 'We are independent Georgian NGOs' In response to the letters, the groups reiterated their long-stated position that they do not intend to register as agents of foreign interests. 'We are independent Georgian NGOs operating under our own statutes […] we serve solely the interests of our people and of Georgia', they said. The Georgian Dream government adopted FARA on 1 April, presenting it as a word-for-word translation of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, also more commonly known as FARA. This followed widespread backlash against the 2024 foreign agent law, which critics labelled a 'Russian law', comparing it to the Kremlin's draconian regulations. Violations of Georgia's FARA law can be punished by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to ₾10,000 ($3,600), or both. Critics have repeatedly pointed out that the US law has not been used to target civil society and media organisations, and that Georgian Dream was disregarding US judicial practices over their own legislation in doing so. 'In the style of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's Russia, the persecution of independent NGOs and free media aims to end democracy. But we will continue our work and will not leave the Georgian people without support', the organisations said on Friday. The letters follow the Anti-Corruption Bureau's June court-backed request for extensive information from civil society organisations. The bureau cited four laws at the time, including FARA, but the court approved the request without mentioning FARA, for unclear reasons. At the time, the organisations said the requested information included sensitive data about their beneficiaries, which they were unwilling to provide to the state. They appealed the first-instance court's approval, but unsuccessfully. Ultimately, several organisations pointed the bureau to publicly available information on their websites. The SJC allowed the bureau access only to information related to its own activities, such as grant agreements, without disclosing sensitive data about third parties. Responding to criticism from civil society, the head of the bureau, Razhden Kuprashvili, stated that the legal and financial documentation requested by his office 'does not go beyond the boundaries of the law'. In its June motion, the bureau sought to support its suspicion that the organisations were engaged in 'covert political activity' by citing public statements and social media posts from them and their representatives. A legislative crackdown against civil society In recent months, the ruling Georgian Dream party has adopted a series of restrictive laws and amendments, several of which have specifically targeted civil society organisations and independent media. One of the amendments made to the law on grants in April required civil society organisations to obtain the government's permission before receiving any grant from outside of Georgia. In addition, donor organisations must also submit a copy of the grant to the Georgian government beforehand. During the same period, the ruling party introduced the FARA law. Under the law, a foreign agent is defined as any person who is under the control of, or acts at the direction of, a foreign power and acts in the interests of that foreign power. The enforcement of both laws — including decisions about who is 'acting at the direction of a foreign power' and who is receiving unauthorised grants — has been entrusted to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which is under the Prime Minister's Office. Georgian Dream has repeatedly claimed that new legislation was necessary to fight the 'influence of external powers'. Nonetheless, critics of the ruling party have insisted that these changes aim to undermine the media and civil society in an already fragile democracy. The restrictive laws were passed in a parliament where opposition is virtually nonexistent. Following the disputed 2024 elections, opposition parties refused to participate in parliamentary sessions. Since then, the ruling party has passed several new restrictive pieces of legislation without any obstacles, targeting the media, civil society, and other critics.
OC Media
3 hours ago
- General
- OC Media
Ingush imam criticises male waiters serving women
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article The Caucasus is changing — so are we. The future of journalism in the region is grim. Independent voices are under threat — and we're responding by building a newsroom powered by our readers. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member Ibragim Batyrov, the imam of the central mosque in the Ingush city of Malgobek, has criticised men working as waiters and serving women during a sermon. The video of his speech in Ingush was published by the independent local media outlet Fortanga. In his address on Friday, Batyrov stated that such work was 'undesirable in Islam' for men. According to him, restaurants and cafes increasingly employed Ingush men to take orders and serve guests, including women. 'You have all probably seen that now in restaurants, young men have started working as waiters. They come up, take orders, [and] serve. It would be fine if all the customers were men, but there are women there. And who is serving Ingush women? Ingush men! This is not normal. This is dirty. People say that no job should be considered shameful. This is undesirable work for men in Islam! There are many such jobs, and if I start listing them now, you won't like it. This is shameful', Batyrov said. According to local media, Batyrov, 45, studied at the King Fahd Islamic Institute in Saudi Arabia and received his higher religious education at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Since 2007, he has served as imam of the central mosque of Malgobek. Such statements by religious figures are not new to Ingushetia. Earlier, Ingush theologian Adam Aushev said in a sermon that women visiting beauty salons 'bring a curse' not only upon themselves but also upon men who allow them to go there. He called for women to be warned against using beauty industry services. 'Visiting beauty salons brings a curse not only on women but also on men who allow their wives to go there. You should tell a woman: 'I like you the way you are, as the Almighty created you'. It is also expensive — people pay up to ₽100,000 ($1,300). To pay for and to take money for this work is also a sin. We must condemn such things', he said. Advertisement The theologian also criticised young people who are interested in South Korean TV dramas and animation. 'Young people have their own circle and their own interests. They watch all sorts of incomprehensible shows and then put all sorts of things on themselves, and they no longer resemble either Muslims or Ingush. Strange clothes, hair, trying to imitate some Koreans', Aushev said. Other North Caucasus republics have also seen initiatives aimed at controlling the behaviour of men and women in public spaces. Earlier in August, a group of Ingush men travelled 300 kilometres to the Daghestani city of Izberbash to 'check' beaches and cafes for Ingush women allegedly dating men of other nationalities. According to the participants, they found no evidence to support these rumours overnight but stated that they would continue to 'monitor' the behaviour of their female compatriots.
OC Media
4 hours ago
- OC Media
Residents of Ingushetia conduct ‘raid' in Daghestan in search of ‘immoral' women
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article The Caucasus is changing — so are we. The future of journalism in the region is grim. Independent voices are under threat — and we're responding by building a newsroom powered by our readers. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member A group of Ingush residents have carried out a so-called 'raid' in the coastal Daghestani city of Izberbash, intending to find Ingush women whom they believed were leading an 'immoral' lifestyle. The raid occurred on the night of 7 August, the podcast Svoboda (ne) za gorami reported, citing participants in the action. 'Our vigilant brothers stand guard over the dignity and honour of our women', was how Ingush news pages initially reported the incident. The reason for the 300-kilometre trip was rumours that Ingush women in Izberbash were allegedly dating men of other ethnicities. The group arrived in the city late in the evening and spent the night checking the beach, cafés, and other public places. Participants in the raid said they found no evidence to support the rumours. The men did not explain what they would have done with the women if they had been discovered. 'There is not a single Ingush woman here, they don't walk around, they don't sit here. There are only Ingush men who came here with their families. All these rumours are untrue — the reality here is different. Ingush men walk around, check, and if something comes up, they fix it immediately', one of the participants said in a video. Advertisement He added that local Ingush men intended to continue monitoring the behaviour of their female compatriots in the city and to 'fix' anything they deemed unacceptable. Similar actions have been recorded in the past, targeting both women and men. In July, Chechen authorities began a campaign against beauty salons which, according to Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, 'corrupt people'. Following his statement, the work of more than 40 cosmetic salons was suspended, officially due to documentation violations. Officials explained this as 'efforts to protect public health' and to preserve traditions. That same month, a Daghestani tourist in North Ossetia was beaten for wearing shorts. The local authorities later forced the man's attackers to record video apologies. In June, the Elbrus District Court of Kabarda-Balkaria began hearing a criminal case against ten people accused of creating and participating in an extremist community, as well as making public calls for extremist activity, over what investigators described as a 'Sharia patrol'. According to the investigation, this patrol monitored the behaviour of local residents for six years, and punished those who, in the group's view, violated religious norms.
OC Media
4 hours ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Georgian courts acquit protester and sentence another to 4.5 years
The Caucasus is changing — so are we. The future of journalism in the region is grim. Independent voices are under threat — and we're responding by building a newsroom powered by our readers. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member Tbilisi City Court has acquitted Tedo Abramov, a protester who was detained during the ongoing anti-government protests on drug charges. A second protester, Davit Khomeriki, was found guilty on separate charges and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. Both hearings took place on Friday, a few hours apart. Abramov, 22, was detained on 7 December as he was leaving home to attend a demonstration. The prosecution claimed that during a search, MDMA was found in his pocket, leading to criminal charges that carry a sentence of 8–20 years, or life in prison. He insisted police planted the drugs on him, with his lawyers insisting the case relied solely on the testimony of the arresting officers. According to RFE/RL, when delivering the verdict, Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili stated that police testimony 'cannot be accepted unequivocally'. Outside the court, Abramov was greeted with cheers from friends and supporters. 'No one plans to give up. There will be one more of us [free] and this will continue until all of us are free. We will bring this fight until the end, we will surely win and defeat this filthy system', Abramov told journalists outside the court. Before Khomeriki's verdict would be announced, he said that he was happy to hear Abramov was released. Advertisement 'I congratulate him for becoming free. Probably he is the freest person among all of us', he said. Khomeriki, 26, was accused of preparing a crime after police claimed that they found a Molotov cocktail in his bag on 2 December following his administrative detention at a protest. He also denied the charges against him, stating that police officers who had subjected him to both psychological and physical abuse during his arrest had lied in court. His defence argued that there was no evidence against him other than police testimony. 'I am very honoured', Khomeriki said, responding to the sentence announced by Judge Nino Galustashvili. After the verdict was announced, some of the family members and supporters in the court hall couldn't hold back their tears. 'What did this kid do, what did he explode, whom did he hit, what did he do? why is he in prison, this musician boy, why?' His mother Dedika Maisuradze said, leaving the courtroom upset and crying. Before being arrested, Khomeriki was playing guitar and was the vocalist of a rock band, The Sinners. He also opened a bar, which is now closed. 'I thought nine months was enough for them [Georgian Dream]. My boy is a free spirit. I have a wonderful boy. We will go through this together, we will survive this too', she later told journalists. Abramov is only the second person criminally detained during the ongoing protests to have been acquitted so far. On 6 August, Tbilisi City Court cleared Giorgi Akhobadze, who was also charged with a drug-related offense. The latest wave of protests in Georgia began on 28 November, when Georgian Dream announced the suspension of the country's EU membership bid. The first phase of demonstrations saw heavy clashes and brutal police violence against protesters and journalists. Hundreds of people have been detained, with criminal cases launched in over 50 instances. Several protesters have already been convicted and sentenced to years in prison. Their release — along with calls for new parliamentary elections — has become one of the demonstrators' central demands.
OC Media
a day ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Moscow warns Baku over reports Azerbaijan will lift arms embargo for Ukraine
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article The Caucasus is changing — so are we. The future of journalism in the region is grim. Independent voices are under threat — and we're responding by building a newsroom powered by our readers. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member Russian Foreign Ministry official Aleksei Fadeev has warned Baku over rumours Azerbaijan might deliver military aid to Ukraine, saying that 'if Baku will lift the arms embargo for selling to Ukraine it will only worsen the situation'. The Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported that Aleksei Fadeev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated in a briefing with the journalists that 'Russia's position on supplying weapons to [Ukraine] is well known to Azerbaijan', emphasising that 'such actions will only worsen the situation on the ground'. During the briefing, Fadeev also commented on information that was published in domestic Azerbaijani media on Monday. In particular, the Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet Caliber cited anonymous sources as saying that Baku will 'begin considering' lifting an arms embargo on Ukraine following a Russian attack on an Azerbaijani petrol depot in Odesa Oblast. Caliber cited 'reliable sources' as saying that Baku might come to this decision 'if Russia continues its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan's interests'. Fadeev stressed that the Foreign Ministry 'has paid attention' to these reports. 'I can say that our Azerbaijani partners are well aware of our position on supplying weapons or dual-use humanitarian aid to the 'neo-Nazi regime' in Kyiv. We believe that such actions do not contribute to a peaceful settlement of the conflict and will only worsen the situation on the ground', Fadeev said, referencing repeated unsubstantiated claims that the government in Kyiv is overrun with neo-Nazis. Advertisement On Monday, Aliyev issued a decree providing $2 million in aid to the Ukrainian energy sector, which is intended to be used to purchase and ship electrical equipment produced in Azerbaijan. The funds will be provided from the President's Reserve Fund, provided for in the state budget of Azerbaijan for 2025. Aliyev's decision sparked another wave of anger from the Russian side. In response, Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov stated on his Telegram channel that 'Russia may impose a ban on imports of Azerbaijani goods in response to Baku's decision to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine'. 'If there are no goods from Azerbaijan on the shelves in Russia, then nothing will change for us, but for them it will change a lot', he said in a video. Gurulyov noted that it is also possible to 'pinch' Azerbaijani entrepreneurs in Russia, hinting that Russia could detain Azerbaijani businesspersons. To conclude his speech, he emphasised that 'the SVO [special military operation] is a flexible concept, including along the entire [Russian] border'. Russia has been using the term special military operation to describe its bloody, now almost four-year-long full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The comment was viewed by Azerbaijani media as an open Russian military threat. On Wednesday, Gurulyov told the Russian media outlet RTVI that he did not 'threaten' Azerbaijan. Nonetheless, Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabayov responded to Gurulyov by saying that the geographic conditions in the Caucasus 'make military actions against Azerbaijan practically impossible'. 'The border between Russia and Azerbaijan is the Great Caucasus Mountains. How are you going to climb through them?', Musabayov asked. In response, Gurulyov stated that 'I remind everyone, my friends, about Chechnya. There are no fewer mountains there'. Gurulyov was just the latest Russian official or propagandist to threaten Azerbaijan following the news it would send increased aid to Ukraine. Top Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov separately claimed that a new 'special military operation' may be necessary to prevent a NATO base from being created on the Caspian Sea. 'It is necessary to understand that what is happening in the South Caucasus is a very big problem. And soon, the Caspian Sea could end up in a situation where NATO bases might appear there. This is so dangerous that, from a geopolitical perspective, it could lead to consequences where this might not be the last special military operation of our generation', Solovyov said on his television show on Sunday.
