Tourist Visits Increased By 9% To 5.1 MLN In 2024

Amnesty International calls on laws passed by GD draconian

“The Georgian authorities’ use of newly enacted, draconian legislation to suppress peaceful dissent marks a disturbing escalation in their crackdown on human rights. The laws, hurriedly passed in December 2024, effectively criminalize even symbolic acts of protest, such as placing stickers on public property. These measures are being deliberately wielded to target peaceful protestors and stifle dissenting voices, including journalists, human rights defenders, and political activists.”“The Georgian authorities must urgently release all those detained for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all allegations of unlawful and disproportionate use of force by police.”Between 11 and 12 January, more than 20 people — including activists, media workers, and members of the political opposition — were arrested in Tbilisi and Batumi during protests held in solidarity with previously detained pro-European demonstrators.Some, including activists Tsiala Katamidze and Mate Tsentradze, were detained in Batumi under a newly enacted law that prohibits the placing of protest stickers on public buildings. Mzia Amaghlobeli, founder of the media companies Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested twice on 12 January. Initially detained for the administrative “offence” of posting a protest sticker, she was later re-arrested as a criminal suspect, with the charges against her yet to be disclosed. Human rights defender Gia Jvarsheishvili, who previously reported being tortured during detention in December, was also re-arrested on 11 January and later hospitalized.Human rights defenders reported delays in accessing detainees, amid allegations that several of them had been subjected to beatings, ill-treatment, and verbal abuse by police.New legislation that came into effect on 30 December imposed further arbitrary restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, introducing hefty fines for putting up protest slogans or posters, and granting police the power to detain individuals “preventatively” on suspicion of planning to violate the rules governing public assembly or other laws, for up to 48 hours.

Georgian FM: PACE co-rapporteurs’ visit “important opportunity” to add...

Speaking to Imedi TV, the official noted the PACE representatives would hold meetings with legislators and Government officials.Co-rapporteurs Claude Kern and Edite Estrela are set to arrive in Tbilisi on Tuesday as part of a fact-finding mission. Their visit, running until Thursday, will assess Georgia’s compliance with its obligations and commitments as a member state of the Council of Europe, the PACE press office said last week.The delegation’s agenda includes meetings with political leaders, Government representatives, civil society organisations, and members of the international community.

Zourabichvili predicts "two options" to GD

Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili declares that the government is falling apart.Zourabichvili explains that the only way out of the political crisis is through new elections, with no viable alternative.“Elections have no alternative. This is not just a principle but a reality in any country facing such a deep crisis. You cannot emerge from this kind of crisis without elections, and no one can govern a country against its people for long.The government is already disintegrating. There are serious questions within its vertical structure. The police are struggling to accept that they must obey a criminal hierarchy rather than a regular institutional one. No institution or individual who isn’t entirely compromised can endure being controlled in this way, subjected to direct instructions.Today, the ruling party has two options: first, to recognize reality, understand what the Georgian people want, and move towards organizing new elections together with the forces within the country and in line with the existing recommendations. A document is being prepared on this matter and will be practically ready in the coming days.The second option is much more difficult and damaging for the country if anyone in the ruling party truly cares about the nation. It would involve waiting for the complete collapse of the ruling party, which would require a different type of responsibility-sharing. However, this will happen if the ruling party does not acknowledge the joint demands of our people and our partners that nothing in this country can be resolved without new elections.We are prepared for both alternatives, and we will remain ready. This struggle continues, with its main component being the people who are standing on the streets, whom I support as much as I can. These people are not only in Tbilisi but also outside the capital,” Zourabichvili stated.

"GD" does not lose hope for Trump and encrypts the "Deep State"

“As is known to the public, several states have imposed financial sanctions and visa restrictions on politicians and high-ranking government officials elected by the Georgian people. These decisions should once again be assessed as an anti-Georgian step that undermines the trust of Georgian society in Western institutions,” the statement reads.The Georgian Dream believes that “the deeper the roots of the Global War Party in various countries and the stronger the metastases of the Deep State in a given country, which serves as the main instrument of the Global War Party’s informal influence, the more anti-Georgian the attitude of the respective country is towards the Georgian state and the Georgian people.”“Without exception, every specific politician and bureaucrat who is distinguished by anti-Georgian statements, be it the president, prime minister, parliamentarian, MEP, diplomat or official, is a member of the Deep State chain, which acts not in the interests of the American or European people, but at the behest of the Global War Party,” the party’s statement reads.The ruling party calls the statements of the US president-elect’s team about the destruction of the Deep State in American official structures encouraging.“President Trump declared even before the elections that “either America will destroy the Deep State or the Deep State will destroy America.” The fact is that over the past 4 years, it was the Deep State that was destroying not only America, but also many countries around the world. The Deep State has created the most serious economic problems for the European Union. The Deep State has engulfed many countries around the world in the flames of war. The most severe effect of the Deep State’s patrons was felt on our friendly country, Ukraine. Ukraine, which until 2014 had sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace, and an economy worth almost 200 billion, is practically destroyed today, for which the authors of the Maidan do not take any responsibility,” writes “Dream.”The protests, which began in the fall of 2024 with the demand for new elections by the opposition, intensified and took the form of a civil protest from November 28, right after Irakli Kobakhidze announced at a briefing that he would not put the issue of opening negotiations for accession to the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.For the 42nd day, demonstrators have been demanding a return to the path of integration with the European Union and new parliamentary elections.Protests have been repeatedly dispersed by police forces using special forces. More than 500 people have been arrested, more than 40 of whom have been charged with criminal offenses.

Georgian PM claims dispute between ruling party founder, Credit Suisse...

Kobakhidze claimed a “direct mention” of the case in a document by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control last week, sanctions against Ivanishvili, supported his allegation of the dispute being politically charged.“A few months ago, we were assured that the dispute with Credit Suisse was purely a commercial matter and had nothing to do with politics. However, we held completely different beliefs and assessments. The recent direct mention of the case in the sanctions document confirmed that the dispute with Credit Suisse is not a commercial issue, but rather a significant political matter”, the Prime Minister told a press conference earlier today.Kobakhidze traced the origins of the conflict back to 2008 and linked it to an alleged misappropriation of Ivanishvili's account that he said had begun after the businessman ceased communications with Georgia’s then-President Mikheil Saakashvili.Kobakhidze asserted the nature of the dispute had been “mischaracterised”, alleging “significant political influences” had “affected management decisions” at Credit Suisse.“The robbery of Ivanishvili's account began in 2008, following his decision to stop communicating with Saakashvili. This break in communication appears to have led to a long-standing case of account robbery that has persisted for many years. Of course, this is not merely a commercial dispute”, he added.Highlighting the devaluation of the bank's shares, Kobakhidze remarked that such a decline suggested a “lack of commercial interest in pursuing the matter”. Instead, he argued, the dispute reflected a “broader narrative of political engagement rather than legitimate business concerns”.“Credit Suisse has severely damaged its reputation due to this dispute. Since 2008, the value of its shares has fallen nearly 100 times, indicating a lack of commercial interest in the matter. From a business perspective, Credit Suisse was not genuinely interested in pursuing this dispute. Instead, it appeared to be driven by political influences affecting the management of the company, which ultimately shaped how the case was handled”, he said.He added “the public will come to their own conclusions about the rest of the matter” on the dispute being allegedly related to politics.