Georgia - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Latest Georgia News

Zurab Chiaberashvili (left) and Vano Merabishvili in a combo photo

Georgia Hearing Ex-Ministers' Cases

A court in Georgia's western city of Kutaisi has started hearing the case of detained former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili and former Health Minister Zurab Chiaberashvili to decide if the two are eligible for bail. More

Former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili arrives for questioning at a regional prosecutor's office in Kutaisi on May 21.

Saakashvili Allies Arrested In Georgia

Authorities in Georgia have arrested former Georgian Prime Minister Ivane Merabishvili and former Health Minister Zurab Chiaberashvili. More

The tiny Pacific island nation of Vanuatu recognized Georgia in 2011. (file photo)

Vanuatu 'No Longer Recognizes' Abkhazia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili says the tiny Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has withdrawn its recognition of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia. More

WATCH: Video Shows Gay-Rights Activists Under Attack

Georgians Held Over Antigay Violence

Four men have been arrested in Georgia in connection with the violence last week that disrupted a planned gay-rights demonstration in Tbilisi. More

Georgian Gay-Rights Rally Disrupted

At least 17 people have been injured by violence that broke out in Georgia's capital before the start of a rally to mark the International Day Against Homophobia. More

More Georgia News

Latest Blog Posts

The World's Coolest McDonald's Is In Batumi, Georgia

On the heels of the largest KFC in the world in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, comes a spectacular new McDonald’s restaurant in Georgia’s Black Sea port city of Batumi, designed by Harvard-educated architect Giorgi Khmaladze. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

Who In Georgia Is Merabishvili's Arrest Meant To Scare?

The arrest of Vano Merabishvili, Mikheil Saakashvili's most powerful ally, appears to tighten the noose around the weakened Georgian president, who has seen his support base crumble since Bidzina Ivanishvili's rise to power last October. But observers in Georgia say the arrest may also be a response to a vicious religious crackdown against gay-rights groups – and a sign that Ivanishvili's true rival is no longer Saakashvili but the church.

A recent political protest in the heart of Zugdidi

Stuck In The Middle: Abkhazia's Ethnic Georgians Feel The Squeeze

The Georgian government of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili is seeking to change the dynamic of Tbilisi's relationship with the breakaway region of Abkhazia. And the mostly ethnic-Georgian population of Abkhazia's Gali district is once again feeling the squeeze.

New legislation regarding marijuana use is expected to be introduced in Georgia

Georgia Considers Taking Softer Approach To Marijuana

Georgia’s strict laws on marijuana have become the subject of a hot debate in the former Soviet republic as the government considers decriminalizing the use of cannabis.

Interview: EU's Enlargement Chief Finds Many Ways To Say ‘More Work Needed’

Stefan Fuele, the European Union commissioner for enlargement and neighborhood policy, has called on the EU-hopeful countries of the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans to do more to prove their commitment to democratic values. Correspondent Daisy Sindelar spoke to Fuele during his visit to RFE/RL headquarters in Prague on May 9.

Georgians Wrestle With Abortion Issue As Gender Imbalance Grows

Georgia's influential Orthodox patriarch issued an Easter message urging the government to ban abortion to address growing demographic problems. While the government opposes the church's hard-line approach, lawmakers understand the need to address the growing problem of gender imbalance caused by sex-selective abortions.

RFE/RL's Georgian Service is widely regarded as the only objective and unbiased source of information in Georgia, where the government still retains a firm grip on media.