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Kobakhidze, GD Ministers Visit UAE

https://civil.ge/archives/719597

Published: February 2, 2026 13:15

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and some of his cabinet members are visiting the United Arab Emirates from February 2 to 5. It is Kobakhidze’s second official foreign trip this year and, again, to the UAE, after he visited Abu Dhabi in…

Pro-Government TV Channels to Host GD-Proposed ‘Debates’

https://civil.ge/archives/719546

Published: February 2, 2026 11:53

Following Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s call to revive public debates, two major pro-government TV channels, Imedi TV and Rustavi 2, said they will host the discussions, with what appears to be limited participation from key opposition…

CoE Commissioner Calls On Georgian Parliament to Reject New Funding Restrictions ‘Stifling Civil Society’

https://civil.ge/archives/719548

Published: February 2, 2026 10:10

Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, called on Georgia’s disputed Parliament to reject legislative amendments that would further tighten restrictions and penalties on recipients of foreign funding. “I am concerned by the…

SSSG Training Center Established as ‘Academy’ to Offer Master’s Program

https://civil.ge/archives/719521

Published: February 2, 2026 08:59

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) training center was established as the State Security Academy, which will offer a one-year, tuition-free master’s program in state security once it receives higher education institution status, the agency…

Analysis | Checking Georgia’s Anti-EU Drift

https://civil.ge/archives/718545

Published: January 30, 2026 11:21

Since Georgia regained its independence in 1991, the ruling elites and the broader public have converged around a shared aspiration to integrate Georgia into the European political, legal, cultural, and economic space. This decades-long convergence came to…

130th IPRM Meeting Held in Ergneti

https://civil.ge/archives/719435

Published: January 30, 2026 10:10

The 130th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held on January 29 in the village of Ergneti, near the occupation line with Georgia’s Russia-occupied Tskhinvali region. It was the first IPRM meeting of the year. The meeting…

Russian Duma Member Claims Contacts with Georgian MPs

https://civil.ge/archives/719360

Published: January 30, 2026 09:27

Viktor Vodolatsky, a member of Russia’s State Duma, said there are “contacts” with members of Georgia’s disputed parliament when commenting to the state-controlled TASS news agency on reports that Russian citizens born in occupied territories were denied…

Georgia’s GDP Up by 7.5% in 2025

https://civil.ge/archives/719416

Published: January 30, 2026 08:33

Georgia’s real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 7.5% in 2025, according to rapid estimates released by the National Statistics Office (Geostat) on January 30. Real GDP increased by 7.2% year-on-year in December 2025. Georgia’s 2025 growth exceeded…

24 Countries Invoke OSCE Moscow Mechanism on Georgia

https://civil.ge/archives/719361

Published: January 29, 2026 14:29

Twenty-four countries have invoked the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism on January 29 “to launch an expert mission on the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia,” with a particular focus on developments since spring 2024. The Moscow Mechanism, part of the…

After Two Failed Rounds, Irakli Kikvadze Elected as Adjara TV Director

https://civil.ge/archives/719321

Published: January 29, 2026 13:42

Irakli Kikvadze has been elected director of Adjara Television and Radio, a publicly funded broadcaster based in coastal Batumi, for a three-year term at a January 29 meeting, following two failed rounds to elect the new head. Seven members of the Public…

Jailed Russian Politician’s Associate Detained in Georgia Amid Extradition Concerns

https://civil.ge/archives/719164

Published: January 29, 2026 12:07

Mikhail Timofeyev, a former aide and political associate of Sergei Furgal, the ex-governor of Russia’s eastern Khabarovsk region who is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence, was reportedly detained in Georgia on January 23 and faces possible…

Ex-Georgian Dream MP Goga Gulordava Elected Chair of Communications Commission

https://civil.ge/archives/719282

Published: January 29, 2026 09:13

On January 29, Goga Gulordava, a former Georgian Dream MP, was elected Chair of the Communications Commission (ComCom), Georgia’s state media regulator, for a three-year term. He was unanimously approved by ComCom members in a secret ballot. He will thus…

Georgian Technical University to Be Merged with Tbilisi State University

https://civil.ge/archives/719273

Published: January 29, 2026 08:26

Georgian authorities plan to merge Georgian Technical University with Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, combining two of the capital’s major and historic public higher education institutions as part of broader and controversial reforms to the…

GD Announces New Restrictions on Receiving Grants, Party Membership, ‘External Lobbying’

https://civil.ge/archives/719193

Published: January 28, 2026 18:13

The ruling Georgian Dream party has announced a series of legislative amendments that would impose further restrictions and penalties on recipients of grants and foreign funding. The proposals would broaden the scope of what is considered a “grant” that…

Opinion | Georgia’s University Reform Is Not a Neutral Initiative. It’s a Political Act

https://civil.ge/archives/718654

Published: January 28, 2026 13:54

The Georgian Dream government’s proposed higher education “reform” did not emerge in a policy vacuum. It is not a neutral policy initiative. It is a political act. Introduced in October 2025 and adopted in December 2025 without substantial participation of…

The Hill: Frontera Co-Founder Lobbies Against MEGOBARI Act

https://civil.ge/archives/719052

Published: January 28, 2026 10:53

Steve Nicandros, a Republican donor and co-founder of Texas-based oil company Frontera Resources, is lobbying against the MEGOBARI Act, a bill that would sanction Georgian authorities, The Hill reported on January 27, citing a letter it said was sent to…

U.S. Congressional Staff Delegation Visits Georgia

https://civil.ge/archives/719086

Published: January 28, 2026 09:46

A delegation of U.S. Congressional staff is visiting Georgia as part of a regional trip, the U.S. Embassy in Georgia reported January 28. “The delegation members will meet with Georgian officials and opposition leaders,” the Embassy said, adding, “They…

Chokhatauri Council Chair Detained Over Alleged Group Violence Against Off-Duty Police

https://civil.ge/archives/719018

Published: January 28, 2026 08:54

Police detained Davit Sharashidze, chair of the Chokhatauri Municipal Council (Sakrebulo) and a Georgian Dream member, and are searching for two others in hiding, with all three accused of group violence over an alleged attack on a police officer while he…

Mikheil Kavelashvili Grants 59 Pardons

https://civil.ge/archives/719006

Published: January 28, 2026 07:50

Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili pardoned 59 inmates on the occasion of Orthodox Saint Nino Day on January 27, with his administration citing “the principle of humanism” and “state interests” in exercising his constitutional…

Georgian Coast Guard Officers Take Part in U.S.-Led Multinational Maritime Drills

https://civil.ge/archives/718891

Published: January 27, 2026 14:36

Georgian Coast Guard officers participated in the U.S.-led multinational Phoenix Express maritime security exercise held in Tunisia on January 20–23, joining partners from Europe and North Africa in drills aimed at countering illicit activities at sea.…

Georgia Presents Report at UN Human Rights Council for 4th Cycle of Universal Periodic Review

https://civil.ge/archives/718850

Published: January 27, 2026 13:35

Georgia’s human rights record was examined on January 26 in Geneva by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, covering 2021-2025 within the fourth cycle of such review. The UPR is an international mechanism under which…

Georgia’s Ex-Deputy Health Minister Arrested on Abuse of Office Allegations

https://civil.ge/archives/718805

Published: January 27, 2026 11:48

Ilia Ghudushauri, Georgia’s former deputy health minister, was arrested on allegations of abusing his official authority in connection with a state procurement tender in 2022, the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance reported on January 27.…

Ukraine Appoints Ambassador to Georgia After Four Years of Vacancy

https://civil.ge/archives/718788

Published: January 27, 2026 08:33

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Mykhailo Brodovych as Ukraine’s ambassador to Georgia, nearly four years after Kyiv recalled its diplomat over Tbilisi’s stances amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. President Zelenskyy signed the…

Sokhumi Says It Expelled British Citizen on Suspicions of Working for ‘Foreign Intelligence’

https://civil.ge/archives/718782

Published: January 27, 2026 08:02

De facto security services of Russia-occupied Abkhazia said they detained and “expelled” a UK citizen, Kuldip Singh, on suspicion of “involvement in the activities of a foreign intelligence service.” According to Sokhumi’s de facto security service, “using…

Days After Release, Court Sets GEL 30,000 Bail for Giorgi Vashadze in ‘Sabotage’ Case

https://civil.ge/archives/718657

Published: January 26, 2026 17:38

Tbilisi City Court set bail at GEL 30,000 (about USD 11,000) for Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the opposition party Strategy Aghmashenebeli, who is charged with “sabotage” and “aiding a foreign country in hostile activities” in a case targeting seven other…

Money Transfers to Georgia Rise 18% in December, EU and U.S. Remain Top Sources

https://civil.ge/archives/718689

Published: January 26, 2026 14:27

Georgia received USD 337.95 million in foreign money transfers in December, marking an 18.4% year-over-year increase, according to data released by the National Bank of Georgia (NBG). The United States and European Union countries remained the largest…

HRW: Georgia Using New Laws to Arbitrarily Detain and Harass Peaceful Protesters

https://civil.ge/archives/718587

Published: January 26, 2026 13:53

Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, said Georgian authorities are using recently tightened protest restrictions and penalties to “arbitrarily detain and harass” protesters, “effectively making the right to protest in Georgia…

Investigation Launched Into ‘Incitement to Suicide’ After SSSG Employee Found Dead in Car

https://civil.ge/archives/718615

Published: January 26, 2026 10:21

An investigation has been launched into “incitement to suicide” after an employee of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) was found dead in a car outside the SSSG headquarters in central Tbilisi on January 26. “An employee of the Anti-Corruption…

Stressing Sanctions Compliance, Kobakhidze Cites 2,658 Cases of Customs Refusals in 2025

https://civil.ge/archives/718613

Published: January 26, 2026 10:05

Georgia’s Customs Department refused customs clearance and returned goods in 2,658 cases in 2025, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in his International Customs Day address on January 26, when he claimed Georgia’s compliance with…

NBG Says It Purchased $2.4 Billion Foreign Exchange In 2025

https://civil.ge/archives/718579

Published: January 26, 2026 08:48

The National Bank of Georgia said its net purchases of foreign currency in 2025 totaled USD 2.43 billion, with international reserves reaching a “historic high” of more than USD 6.16 billion. According to updated data, the December purchase, made through…

Ex-UNM MP Givi Targamadze Released After Seven Months in Prison

https://civil.ge/archives/718567

Published: January 26, 2026 08:08

Former United National Movement lawmaker Givi Targamadze was released from Rustavi prison on January 26 after completing a seven-month sentence for defying the so-called Tsulukiani Commission. “This is the price, the price of fighting for freedom, and it…