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☆ Georgian opposition leader arrested after fourth night of protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

TBILISI, Georgia — Police in Georgia arrested a prominent opposition leader early Monday after using water cannon and tear gas to scatter anti-government protesters who rallied outside Parliament for the fourth straight night. Critics saw that as confirmation of a Russian-influenced shift away from pro-Western policies, something the ruling party denies. The Coalition for Change, the country’s largest opposition party, said in a post on X that Zurab Japaridze, one of its leaders, had been arrested by police while leaving the demonstration. Giorgi Arjevanidze / AFP via Getty Images fileZourabichvili has called for pressure to be brought on the Constitutional Court to annul elections won by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, in October. Tension in Georgia has been building for months as the ruling party has passed laws on “foreign agents” and on curbing LGBT rights.

Persons: Girogi Arjevanidze, Dmitry Medvedev, Nikoloz Miruashvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, “, ”, Salome Zourabichvili, Ilia Topuria, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Kobakhidze, Zourabichvili Organizations: Georgia — Police, European Union, Critics, Coalition, Russia, Police, France Inter, Getty Locations: TBILISI, Georgia, Russian, Tbilisi , Georgia, AFP, United States, Europe, Asia, Soviet Union, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russia

☆ Georgia is being rocked by days of violent protests. Here’s what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-02 | by ( Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Days of protests have rocked Georgia following the government’s controversial decision to delay the former Soviet country’s bid to join the European Union. Tensions intensified in late October when Georgian Dream claimed victory in a contested election that was widely seen as a referendum on joining the EU. Opposition TV channel Formula showed people in the central town of Khashuri throwing eggs at the local Georgian Dream office and tearing down the party’s flag. Georgian Dream, founded by a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, has taken a sharp authoritarian turn in recent years. Experts have warned the suspension of EU talks is another sign the country is going down an undemocratic path under Georgian Dream.

Persons: Irakli Kobakhidze, ”, “, Giorgi Arjevanidze, “ I’ve, –, ” Tsotne, Salome Zourabichvili, Ketevan, Georgians ”, Matthew Miller, Kaja Kallas, Kobakhidze, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev Organizations: CNN, European Union, Georgian, EU, ”, Getty, Georgians, Police, Reuters, Opposition, Interpress, Western, National Democratic Institute ., Democratic, Center for, US State Department, Georgia, Security, of Russia Locations: Georgia, Soviet, South Caucasus, Georgian, Russia, Europe, Soviet Union, ” Georgia, Tbilisi, AFP, Black, Poti, Tbilisi , Georgia, Ukraine, Russian, US, United States

☆ Protests in Georgia spread as PM defies US condemnation
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The country of 3.7 million people has seen months of rising tension between the ruling Georgian Dream party and opponents who accuse it of pursuing increasingly authoritarian, anti-Western and pro-Russian policies. Opposition TV channel Formula showed footage of people in Khashuri, a town of 20,000 in central Georgia, throwing eggs at the local Georgian Dream office and tearing down the party’s flag. Georgian Dream says it is acting to defend the country’s sovereignty against outside interference. Georgia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that foreign states were trying to “interfere in the functioning of the institutions of a sovereign state”, and that this was unacceptable. But domestic opponents and Western governments have become increasingly concerned that Georgian Dream is intent – despite its denials – on abandoning that course.

Persons: Interpress, Dmitry Medvedev, Irakli Kobakhidze, ”, Kobakhidze, Donald Trump, Irakli Gedenidze, Salome Zourabichvili –, Zourabichvili, –, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Kaja Kallas Organizations: TBILISI Reuters — Protesters, European Union, EU, Protesters, Georgia, West, NATO, Getty Locations: TBILISI, Georgia’s, Georgian, Tbilisi, Black, Poti, Khashuri, Georgia, United States, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Tbilisi , Georgia, Washington, Soviet Union, AFP, Ukraine

☆ Over 40 people hospitalized in Georgia during protests over suspension of EU talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A third night of protests in the Georgian capital against the government's decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union left 44 people hospitalized, officials said Sunday. An effigy of the founder of the governing Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili — a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — was burned in front of the legislature. He insisted it wasn't true that Georgia's European integration had been halted. The statement condemned Georgia's decision to halt its efforts toward EU accession. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and enlargement commissioner Marta Kos released a joint statement Sunday on the Georgian government's decision to suspend negotiations.

Persons: Bidzina, Russia —, Irakli Kobakhidze, Kobakhidze, Georgia's, Kaja Kallas, Marta Kos, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili Organizations: Riot, European Union, U.S, U.S . State, Georgian, EU, Associated Press Locations: Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgian, Russia, Georgia, U.S ., Ukraine, EU, Moscow, Tbilisi

☆ Protesters gather for third night of demonstrations after Georgia announces suspension of EU talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Protesters gathered across Georgia on Saturday night in a third straight night of demonstrations against the government's decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. More than 100 demonstrators were arrested as crowds clashed with police Friday night, the country's Interior Ministry said. The Associated Press saw protesters in Tbilisi being chased and beaten by police as demonstrators rallied in front of the country's parliament building. European election observers said October's vote took place in a divisive atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence. Kobakhidze also said Georgia would reject any budgetary grants from the EU until the end of 2028.

Persons: Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgia's, Kobakhidze, Critics, Bidzina Ivanishvili Organizations: Protesters, European Union, Ministry, Associated Press, Central Bank, Georgian, EU, Kremlin Locations: Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgia, Tbilisi, Russia, Moscow, Georgian

☆ Georgia rocked by fierce protests after government puts EU hopes on ice
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-29 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

After years of moving closer towards Europe – and securing EU candidate status late last year – Georgian Dream has taken a sharp authoritarian turn. Georgian Dream claimed victory with 54% of the vote, but opposition parties claimed the election was rigged. “I’ve seen a lot of protests in Georgia: during this government, the previous government – I also remember some from Soviet times. Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgian Dream, with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze after exit polls were announced in Tbilisi, October 26, 2024. But the government’s halting of the country’s EU bid appears to have sparked the protest movement into life.

Persons: Salome Zourabichvili, ” Zourabichvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Zourabichvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Nicoloz, ”, Ketevan, ” Chachava, ” Tsotne, “ I’ve, –, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Salome Khvaratskelia, Khvaratskelia, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, European Union, . Police, Western, Getty, Europe –, EU, Georgian, Georgia’s European Union, ” CNN, Police, Protesters, Democratic, Center for, United National Movement Locations: Georgia, Soviet, Georgian, Tbilisi, AFP, Russia, backsliding

☆ Georgia election chief doused in paint as protests continue after divisive parliamentary vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tblisi, Georgia AP —The head of Georgia’s Central Electoral Commission was doused with black paint Saturday at a meeting to confirm the results of the country’s divisive Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Protesters gathered outside the commission’s building in Tbilisi, where officials announced that the ruling Georgian Dream party had won 53.93% of the vote. Opposition supporters have rejected the results amid allegations that the vote was rigged, an accusation that Georgian Dream denies. Critics have accused the ruling Georgian Dream, established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. Zourabichvili, who holds a mostly ceremonial position, has urged the United States and EU to support the demonstrations.

Persons: David Kirtadze, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Kirtadze, Kalandarishvili, ” Kalandarishvili, ”, Critics, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili Organizations: Georgia AP, Georgia’s, Electoral, Protesters, United National Movement, European Union, Kremlin, EU Locations: Tblisi, Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russia, Moscow, United States, Washington, Brussels

☆ Georgian president calls for protests after ruling party wins disputed election; U.S., allies call for probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Georgian Dream Party supporters celebrate the exit poll results in Tbilisi on Saturday. Diego Fedele / Getty ImagesPresident Salome Zourabichvili spoke the day after the vote, which the electoral commission said the ruling party had won. The Georgian Dream party clinched nearly 54% of the vote, the commission said, as opposition parties contested the result and vote monitors reported significant violations. Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian over the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to crack down on speech. Despite that, Georgian Dream has adopted Russia-style laws and many Georgians fear the government is distancing the country from the West and into Moscow’s orbit.

Persons: Diego Fedele, Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s, ”, Zourabichvili, Antonio López, White, Charles Michel, “, Irakli Kobakhidze, ” Hungary’s Victor Orbán, Tiko Gelashvili, Natia Seskuria Organizations: European Union, Georgian Dream Party, Getty, European, Sunday, Georgian, The United National Movement, Regional Institute for Security Studies, AP Locations: United States, Russia, Europe, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russian, Brussels, South Caucasus, ”, Georgia, Tiko, Georgia’s, Moscow, Soviet Union, Javakheti

☆ Election win for Russia-friendly party in Georgia sets the stage for protests and possible violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Citizens and Georgian Dream Party supporters, carrying flags of Georgia and the Georgian Dream Party, attend the Georgian Dream Party's election rally. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesMass protests are expected in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Monday after the ruling, Russia-friendly party Georgian Dream claimed victory in a contentious parliamentary election this weekend. "We do not accept these stolen election results," stated Tina Bokuchava, the leader of Georgia's main opposition party, the United National Movement, at a press briefing late on Saturday. "It was a total fraud, a total taking away of your votes," Zourabichvili told reporters, flanked by Georgian opposition party leaders, in comments reported by Reuters. Supporters of the Georgian Dream party celebrate at the party's headquarters after the announcement of exit poll results in parliamentary elections, in Tbilisi, Georgia October 26, 2024.

Persons: that's, Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia's, Irakli Kobakhidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Tina Bokuchava, Vano Shlamov, Bokuchava, Bidzina, Zourabichvili, Timothy Ash, Ash, Ivanishvili, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Irakli Gedenidze, Antony Blinken, Blinken Organizations: Georgian Dream Party, Anadolu, Getty, Georgian, European Union, NATO, United National Movement, National Movement, Afp, Reuters, BlueBay Asset Management, Kremlin's, TASS, Google, OSCE Office, Democratic, Human, European Locations: Georgia, Georgian, Tbilisi, Russia, Soviet, Soviet Union, Russian, EU, Washington, Moscow, Europe, Tbilisi , Georgia, U.S

☆ Georgia’s president calls for rally to save ‘European future’ as thousands protest disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Central Election Commission (CEC) said it had secured nearly 54% of the vote. Asked why she is refusing to recognize the results of the election, Zourabichvili said Georgian Dream had used “all the instruments” at its disposal to rig the election and called for an international investigation. Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP/Getty ImagesThe election commission told CNN it received 445 district-level complaints of irregularities on election day. European leaders criticized the bill and have since frozen Georgia’s accession process, just months after it was offered EU candidate status. The UNM was founded by former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been jailed since 2021 for abuse of power while in office.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Zourabichvili, –, ’, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, ”, authoritarians, Matthew Miller, ” Zourabichvili, Vladimir Putin, Zurab, Nicoloz Samkharadze, “, Ivanishvili –, Soviet Union –, Mikheil Saakashvili Organizations: CNN, Election Commission, Getty, Georgian, European Union, EU, United National Movement, UNM Locations: Soviet, Europe, Tbilisi, Russia, AFP, United States, Soviet Union, Georgia

☆ Georgia’s opposition disputes result of crucial vote which could decide the country’s role in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Initial figures suggest turnout is the highest since the ruling Georgian Dream party was first elected in 2012. Georgia’s Central Election Commission said Georgian Dream won 52.99% with the majority of votes counted. Georgian Dream stood against four main opposition groups, which indicated they did not accept the results. The biggest opposition party, United National Movement, said its headquarters came under attack on polling day. Many Georgians fear Georgian Dream is dragging the country toward authoritarianism and killing off hopes it could join the EU.

Persons: Ivanishvili, Tina Bokuchava, “, ”, Russia —, Salome Zourabichvili, ” Qristine, Nika Gvaramia, ” Ivanishvili, Party ”, Giorgi Gakharia Organizations: European Union, Georgia’s, Commission, Georgian, EU, United National Movement, CEC, Associated, NATO, Coalition, AP, Party, Unity National Movement Locations: Georgian, Russia, Brussels, South Caucasus, Zugdidi, Marneuli, Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet Union, EU, U.S, Ukraine, Strong Georgia

☆ Alleging ‘Russian special operation,’ Georgian president calls for protests over disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ivanishvili had vowed to ban the opposition if his party won the election, and his opponents are taking him at his word. On Saturday, as Georgians cast their ballots, thousands of Georgian and international election observers fanned out to voting precincts across the country, from urban centers to poor, remote villages in the Caucasus mountains, trying to evaluate whether the vote was free and fair. Throughout election day, video of violations, some of them egregious, like a man boldly jamming ballots into a ballot box, spread quickly. “She is on the right side of history,” said opposition politician Nika Gvaramia. The illiberal leader has found common cause with Georgia’s ruling party and was the first international leader to congratulate them after the election – even before the votes were officially tallied.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, “, Georgia …, ”, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, Ivanishvili, ISFED, John Shimkus, Margareta Cederfelt, Zourabichvili, Nika Gvaramia, Elene Khoshtaria, isn’t, Viktor Orban Organizations: Georgia CNN, Georgian, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute, International Society for Fair Elections, Democracy, “ Coalition Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Georgian, Russian, “, Gvaramia, Russia, ” Moscow, Hungarian

☆ Putin's 'hybrid warfare' pressures neighbors at a crossroads to turn away from the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-26 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The American presidential election isn’t the only vote that the Kremlin has its eyes on — and, arguably, is seeking to get its hands in. Two of Russia’s neighbors find themselves at a crossroads, with Moscow hoping to steer them toward its orbit rather than greater engagement with Europe. The key votes in Georgia and Moldova this week are therefore being closely watched across the West. In Georgia, the very possibility of future free and fair elections may be on the ballot. For Moscow’s part, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told NBC News on Friday that “we are in no way attempting and hardly have an opportunity to influence the situation and electoral processes in these countries.”

Persons: doesn't, ” Salome Samadashvili, Dmitry Peskov, ” Organizations: NBC News, European Union, NBC Locations: Moscow, Europe, Georgia, Moldova, In Georgia, Russia

☆ Georgia’s pro-Western president condemns ‘troubling incidents of violence’ at polling stations with crucial vote underway
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-26 | by ( Christian Edwards | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has condemned “deeply troubling incidents of violence unfolding at various polling stations” as the country votes in a crucial parliamentary election. Activist and monitoring groups shared footage that they said showed ballot stuffing at a polling station in Marneuli, southern Georgia. Voting has been suspended at that polling station, local media reported. Groups have gathered with the sole purpose of provoking conflict and confrontation,” Zourabichvili said in a statement shared with CNN. “It reflects weakness, and I urge everyone not to be intimidated by it.”Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze votes at a polling station in Tbilisi on Saturday.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, “, Azad Karimov –, ” Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Zourabichvili, ” Zourabichvili, Irakli, Diego Fedele, Givi Mikanadze, ”, Irakli Kobakhidze Organizations: CNN, Union, Azad, United National Movement, UNM, CEC, Georgian, ”, Imedia Media, Georgia’s, Government Locations: Russia, Georgian, Marneuli, Georgia, Marneuli’s, Tbilisi

☆ Georgia faces an uncertain future as all sides claim election victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-26 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Georgian Dream-supporting Imedi TV channel showed the ruling party winning 56%. Georgian Dream did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Members of an election commission count ballots at a polling station after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Oct. 26, 2024. Georgian Dream has drawn the ire of its Western allies for what they cast as its increasingly authoritarian bent. Sandro Dvalishvili, a 23-year-old Georgian Dream activist, told Reuters last week that Georgia would face “danger” if his party of choice was defeated at the polls.

Persons: Georgia Reuters —, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Ivanishvili, Tina Bokuchava, Mikheil Saakashvili, Ivanishvili’s, Bokuchava, “, Irakli Gedenidze, Salome Zourabichvili –, ”, Andronikashvili, George W, Bush, Kostya, Viktor Orban, Sandro Dvalishvili Organizations: Georgia Reuters, United National Movement, Reuters, ”, Party, EU, Georgian Locations: TBILISI, Georgia, South Caucasus, Georgian, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Tbilisi, Soviet, Tbilisi’s, Tbilisi , Georgia, Moscow

☆ Georgia's election forces voters to choose between a future with Russia or Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream party at the party's final campaign rally in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Despite its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric, Georgian Dream insists it still wants Georgia to join the EU and its election posters feature the party's logo along with the symbol of the EU. People walk past campaign posters of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 22, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili attends the final campaign rally of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili, staunchly critical of the ruling party, addressed crowds of supporters last weekend, telling them that the vote would "demonstrate people's will for freedom, independence, and a European future."

Persons: Giorgi Arjevanidze, There's, Bidzina Ivanishvili, —, oligarch Bidzina, Salome Zurabishvili's, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Salome Zurabishvili Organizations: Afp, Getty, Center for, NATO, European Union, EU, Western, Russia, Party, Institute for, Kremlin Locations: Georgian, Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Moscow, Washington, Europe, Western Ukraine, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia, European

☆ As Georgia votes, fears of a return to Moscow’s orbit loom large
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Ulf Mauder/picture alliance/Getty ImagesMany observers fear the ruling Georgian Dream party will resort to anything to stay in power. This year, Georgian Dream pushed through a Kremlin-style “foreign agent” law, which critics say aims to shut down watchdogs who call the government to account. She described some of the statements made by Georgian Dream officials as a “copy-paste” of those from Stalin’s show trials. ‘Soviet mentality’A question puzzling many is why the formerly center-left Georgian Dream has made a sudden authoritarian pivot. Joining the EU would require cleaning up the country’s judiciary and giving up power if Georgian Dream is voted out on Saturday.

Persons: Joseph Stalin, Stalin “, ”, Stalin, Stalin’s, Ulf Mauder, Ivanishvili –, –, Vladimir Putin’s, “, everybody’s, ” Natalie Sabanadze, Sabanadze, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, Mikheil Saakashvili, ” Younger, Uriel Sinai, Moscow’s, Davit, Georgia’s, Salome Zourabichvili –, Ivanishvili’s, Bera, ” Ivanishvili, Hillary Clinton, Viktor Orban, Irakli Kobakhidze, Orban, Mirian, Levan Khabeishvili –, Khabeishvili, “ Ivanishvili, He’s, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Sergei Naryshkin Organizations: CNN, Joseph, Joseph Stalin Museum, European Union, Party, Chatham House, Georgian, Getty, Kremlin, Stalin, –, Governance, NATO, EU, Hungary’s, Conservative Political, Georgia’s, Police, Western United National Movement, UNM, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Locations: Gori, Soviet, Caucasus, Georgian, Soviet Union, Georgia, Russia, Everybody’s, London, Chatham, Tbilisi, AFP, Moscow, Georgia’s South Ossetia, Gori ., Abkhazia, Gori , Georgia, Ukraine, Europe, Budapest, Anadolu, Nuremberg, Brussels, Moldova, Belarus

☆ Georgian parliament speaker signs law curbing LGBT rights
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Georgian parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili said in a Facebook post on Thursday that he had signed into law a “family values” bill curbing LGBT rights, just weeks before a high-stakes parliamentary election. Lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream party last month approved the bill, which bans gender transitions and could outlaw pride marches and displays of the LGBT rainbow flag. President Salome Zourabichvili, a critic of the ruling party, had refused to sign the bill into law. Georgian Dream and its allies in parliament had enough seats to overcome her opposition. Georgian Dream argues that its opponents would bring a return to war, and says it would pursue more stable relations with Russia.

Persons: Shalva Papuashvili, Salome Zourabichvili Organizations: Reuters, Georgian, Soviet Union, NATO, EU, Moscow, Georgia Locations: Georgian, Russia, Soviet, Moscow, Georgia, Russian

☆ Georgian parliament approves law curbing LGBTQ rights
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tbilisi, Georgia Reuters —Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday approved the third and final reading of a law on “family values and the protection of minors” that would impose sweeping curbs on LGBTQ rights. Leaders of the governing Georgian Dream party say it is needed to safeguard traditional moral standards in Georgia, whose deeply conservative Orthodox Church is highly influential. “This law is the most terrible thing to happen to the LGBTQ community in Georgia,” Jakeli, 28, told Reuters. But Georgian Dream and its allies have enough seats in parliament to override her veto. Foreign agentsThe issue has become more prominent ahead of October’s election, where Georgian Dream is seeking a fourth term in office and is campaigning heavily against LGBTQ rights.

Persons: Tamara Jakeli, ” Jakeli, “, Salome Zourabichvili, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Jakeli’s, Jakeli Organizations: Georgia Reuters, Pride, Church, European, Tbilisi Pride, Reuters, Georgian Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Georgian, Russia, Soviet Union

☆ Georgia parliament overrides president to pass Kremlin-style ‘foreign agents’ bill, defying Western pressure
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Christian Edwards | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Georgia’s parliament has voted to override the presidential veto of a Russian-inspired “foreign agent” law, defying fierce protests at home and criticism abroad. The ruling Georgian Dream party has for weeks tried to force through the “foreign agent” law, likened by critics to a measure introduced in Russia to stifle dissent. Protesters stare down riot police outside the Georgian Parliament. Irakli Gedenidze/ReutersResponding to Tuesday’s vote, Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said it marked “a very sad day” for Georgia and the rest of Europe. But the government reintroduced the same bill in March and this time refused to cave to public pressure, despite a month of renewed protests.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, “, I’m, Sen, Jeanne Shaheen, Irakli Gedenidze, Gabrielius Landsbergis, ”, Natalie Sabanadze, –, Sabanadze Organizations: CNN, European, Georgian, United, – Locations: Russian, Georgian, Russia, Soviet, European Union, United States, Georgia, New Hampshire, Europe

☆ Georgia president overruled as lawmakers push forward with Russia-style 'foreign agents' law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Demonstrators protesting the "foreign influence" law crowd outside the parliament building in central Tbilisi on May 28, 2024. Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to override a presidential veto on a Russia-style "foreign agents" law, pushing forward with legislation that has triggered international condemnation and large-scale protests in the South Caucasus nation. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the controversial legislation on May 18, saying on social media platform X that the "fundamentally Russian" law represents "an obstacle to our European path." Zourabichvili, a critic of the ruling Georgian Dream government, has called for a repeal of the law. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said the bill will create "strong guarantees" to help ensure long-lasting peace in the country.

Persons: Salome Zourabichvili, Irakli Kobakhidze Organizations: Union, NATO, United Nations, EU, Kremlin ., Georgian Locations: Tbilisi, Russia, South Caucasus, The U.S, Georgian, Soviet Union

☆ Opinion: Hardened like diamonds, these Gen Z protesters fight for a European future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Opinion Will Cathcart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They snatch protesters from the crowd and drag them back into a mass of black uniforms. Will Cathcart Will CathcartHundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Georgia in recent weeks to protest the government’s adoption of a Kremlin-inspired “foreign agents” bill. As with the foreign agents law, the bill’s authors claim it promotes transparency, an absurd notion. The foreign agents bill is a symptom of a deeper issue – money. The pressures of authoritarian intimidation and systematic violence have hardened Georgia’s young protestors like diamonds.

Persons: Will Cathcart, Mikheil Saakashvili, Cathcart Will Cathcart, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Hans Gutbrod, ”, Salome Zourabichvili, aren’t, Gen Z, Europe –, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Party ” –, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Shalva Papuashvili, – “, “, James O’Brien’s, Ivanishvili, Zviad Organizations: CNN, Tbilisi CNN — Riot, Georgian, Ilia State University, European Union, Getty, Global, Party, Georgian Orthodox Church, US, State, Eurasian Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, NATO, Special Forces Exchange Locations: American, Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Europe, AFP, Georgian, Soviet, Russian, United States, Brussels, Washington, Moscow, EU

☆ Georgia’s President Vetoes Foreign Influence Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Salome Zourabichvili of Georgia said on Saturday that she had vetoed a bill on foreign influence that has sparked protests and plunged the nation into a political crisis, threatening to derail its pro-European aspirations in favor of closer ties with Russia. Georgia’s Parliament, which passed the draft law in three readings, is widely expected to override the veto. The ruling Georgian Dream party, which introduced the proposed legislation, can turn it into law as early as May 28, when the Parliament will be in session again. Mrs. Zourabichvili called her veto “symbolic,” but it still represented another step in the political conflict between the country’s pro-Western opposition, which Mrs. Zourabichvili supports, and the Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012. The crisis has highlighted the highly polarized nature of Georgia’s political life.

Persons: Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili Locations: Georgia, Russia, Georgia’s, Georgian

☆ Georgian president vetoes ‘foreign agents’ bill after widespread opposition
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Michael Rios | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has vetoed a controversial “foreign agents” bill that sparked weeks of widespread protests across the country. The divisive legislation would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face a fine. Opponents say the bill was modeled after similar laws in Russia that the Kremlin has used to snuff out opposition and civil society. “This law, in its essence and spirit, is fundamentally Russian, contradicting our constitution and all European standards,” President Zourabichvili said after vetoing the bill on Saturday. Demonstrators protest against the foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia on May 13, 2024.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Zurab Organizations: CNN, European Union, EU Locations: Russia, Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgia, Soviet, Russia . Georgia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Europe, –, Ukraine

☆ Georgia president holds talks on 'how to save' the country as U.S., EU and NATO decry 'Russian law'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili delivers a speech during an gathering celebrating Europe Day outside her residence in Tbilisi on May 9, 2024. (Photo by Vano SHLAMOV / AFP) (Photo by VANO SHLAMOV/AFP via Getty Images)Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Wednesday held talks with European ministers to urgently discuss "how to save" the country, shortly after lawmakers adopted a deeply divisive Russia-style foreign influence bill. The U.S., European Union, NATO and the United Nations have all issued statements expressing concern about Georgia's new legislation, which opposition lawmakers have denounced as the "Russian law." Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday approved the legislation, with 84 members of the country's 150-member law-making body voting in favor. "On the agenda today is the following issue: how to save Georgia," Zourabichvili said, according to a translation.

Persons: Salome Zurabishvili, Vano SHLAMOV, VANO SHLAMOV, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili Organizations: Getty Images, Wednesday, Union, NATO, United Nations, EU Locations: Europe, Tbilisi, AFP, Russia, U.S, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Iceland, Georgia

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