Eurasianet

2 weeks ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

Georgian government officials are growing increasingly frustrated that the Trump administration is not enabling their steady drift toward authoritarianism.

3 weeks ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

A report compiled by watchdog groups documents systematic rights abuses by security forces in Georgia, adding that the Georgia Dream government seeks to “reduce the remaining space for dissent and continue its rule indefinitely.”The report, published by the Georgian Young Lawyers Association with the help of 10 other civil society groups, disputes the validity of last fall’s parliamentary election results, which cemented Georgian Dream’s control over the legislature and government.

3 weeks ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

On the first day of May, a Russian passenger airliner landed in Sukhumi, the capital of the separatist region of Abkhazia, disgorging a load of vacationers hoping to bathe in some Black Sea sunshine. This seemingly innocuous flight had large political ramifications, marking the reassertion of full Russian control over territory that under international law still belongs to Georgia.

1 month ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

Georgian Dream leaders in Tbilisi may consider themselves ideologically aligned with the Trump administration, and see the US Congress as putty in the president’s hands. But that does not mean Congress is simpatico with Georgian Dream’s political course. The US House of Representatives is ramping up pressure on Georgia, an erstwhile US ally in the South Caucasus.

1 month ago | eurasianet.org | Irakli Machaidze

Georgia’s leading pro-opposition broadcaster, Mtavari TV, has announced it will permanently shut down May 1, a move that strengthens the Georgian Dream Party’s ability to shape news narratives about political and economic developments in the country. Government critics vow to launch a new channel, but recent legislation gives Georgian Dream officials numerous instruments to frustrate opposition plans.