Day: April 26, 2024

Tbilisi City Court Judge Koba Chagunava has ordered activist brothers, a protestor Otar Murvelashvili and opposition party members, who were arrested during the ongoing rallies against the draft law on foreign agents, to pay fines of GEL 2200-2500. They were found guilty of violating Article 173 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which implies disobedience to the lawful request of a police officer, and Article 166 – petty hooliganism.

The protesters’ human rights defender, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), told Civil.ge that Sandro Jokhadze, an 18-year-old high school student, was ordered to pay GEL 2200 on April 25. Speaking to Netgazeti, Sandro said that only two policemen were present at the court as witnesses, and that although he had four witnesses and a video recording that clearly showed that these policemen were nowhere near him during the arrest, the judge came to the decision that the Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted.

Sandro and his brother, Giga Jokhadze, both claim to have been physically abused during their arrest. Giga Jokhadze, a researcher at the Chavchavadze Center, was fined GEL 2500. The brothers’ lawyer, Jano Chkadua, told Netgazeti that in both cases the witnesses gave false testimony to the court and that the video recordings of the policeman supported the brothers’ arguments more than the witnesses.

Another protester Otar Murvelashvili was fined GEL 2300 for violating the same articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses.

As for one of the leaders of “Lelo – For Georgia”, Irakli Kupradze, he was fined GEL 2500 on April 24. Kupradze’s arrest was recorded by the cameras of several TV channels and it is clearly visible that he had his hands in the air and did not resist the police. Netgazeti reports that, despite this clear evidence, the judge refused to request footage from cameras around the Parliament and, as Kupradze wrote on his Facebook page, the media were kicked out of the courtroom during the proceedings.

Another opposition member, Gela Khasaia from “Girchi – More Freedom” was fined GEL 2600 on April 24, despite eyewitness accounts and video footage proving that he did nothing illegal during the protests.

Also Read:

• 17/04/2024 – Photo Story | Riot Police Use Pepper Spray to Break Up Protest Against “Foreign Agents Law,” Arrest Protesters
• 16/04/2024 – Riot Police Attempt to Disperse Demonstrators with Pepper Spray, Detentions

The School of Political Education, a local CSO accused the management of Tbilisi State University (TSU) of attempting to obstruct the panel discussion on the Russian-style foreign agents law by denying the organizers a proper space on its premises, according to the statement by the organization. The statement said that despite the university administration’s obstructive efforts, the event eventually didi take place on 24 April, albeit in a smaller auditorium.

According to the statement, the history of the new-born CSO began in that very university with the participation of its students, and all of its projects have been held at the premises of TSU, as the recent panel discussion should not have been an exception.

“We believe that the university should not be the place where you [only] study what political rights, freedom of speech, civil society […] are, [and] you are not allowed to exercise them in practice,” the statement reads, adding, “For this very reason, we deemed it necessary to express our position on the ongoing current issue in the country within the walls of the university, on this law [on foreign agents], and to provide more information on this issue to the students [and others] with the participation of the distinguished lecturers of TSU.”

The statement says it was a matter of principle to hold the panel discussion in the university’s first building as it is the central building of the TSU with its historical, symbolic significance.

According to the statement, the organization wend through all the bureaucratic steps involved in reserving the relevant room. However, TSU administration denied the alternative room in that particular building “because all the auditoriums were occupied”. The the organization points out, after this argument was made, all auditoriums in the first building were checked and most were found to be available for use, locked.

The organization says that a room offered by the university in its sixth building was not large enough considering the number of people interested in attending the event. As a result, due to the room’s smaller size, many participants had to either leave or stand throughout the meeting.

Although the statement emphasizes that Tbilisi State University, as an educational institution, should not be politicized, it also criticizes the TSU for “silence” regarding the ongoing developments as regards foreign agents law, saying that “the university should raise its voice when the country moves away from democracy and European values.”

“The university is silent, and that silence shouts loudly,” the statement says.

Also Read:

• 27/12/2022 – Jaba Samushia Elected as Rector of TSU

The United States said on Thursday that it’s working closely with the EU to identify and combat potential Russian interference in the upcoming election process, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports.

With just a few weeks to go until European Parliament elections, fresh revelations of suspected espionage at the legislature raise eyebrows, while several…

Reuters:  China’s largest auto show opened in Beijing on Thursday with the biggest names showing off their latest electric vehicles (EVs), underlining how the world’s largest auto market is already in an all-electric state of mind, and isn’t looking back.

Automakers are set to unveil 117 new models versus…

COP29 climate summit host Azerbaijan defends oil and gas investments  Reuters

President of Azerbaijan: A country rich in natural resources, particularly oil and gas, should be at forefront of those …  AZERTAC News

We must act now to hold Azerbaijan accountable – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  ARMENPRESS

In Yerevan, protests are taking place against Armenia’s transfer of four villages to Azerbaijan as part of the border demarcation process between the two countries. Demonstrators briefly block streets to show their disagreement. In some districts of Yerevan, supporters of the… pic.twitter.com/qY2eC2Hh4i

— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) April 26, 2024

Состоялась церемония закрытия Совместного турецко-российского мониторингового центра

26 апреля состоялась торжественная церемония закрытия Совместного турецко-российского мониторингового центра, расположенного на территории Агдамского района.
В церемонии приняли участие руководящий состав Азербайджанской Армии, вооруженных сил Турции и России, а также послы обеих стран в нашей республике, военнослужащие и журналисты.
Сначала были исполнены государственные гимны всех 3 стран.
На мероприятии выступили первый заместитель министра обороны – начальник Генерального штаба Азербайджанской Армии генерал-полковник Керим Велиев, начальник штаба Сухопутных войск Вооруженных Сил Турецкой Республики генерал-полковник Левент Эргюн, заместитель начальника Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации генерал-полковник Сергей Истраков, военнослужащие и журналисты.                                                                                      
Было рассказано о деятельности Совместного турецко-российского мониторингового центра, созданного на основе меморандума от 11 ноября 2020 года, подписанного между Турецкой Республикой и Российской Федерацией.
Выражена благодарность турецким и российским военнослужащим за добросовестную и мужественную службу на благо мира и стабильности в регионе с 30 января 2021 года и пожелали успехов в дальнейшей службе.
Также было отмечено, что начался процесс полного вывода миротворческого контингента Российской Федерации, временно размещённого в Карабахском экономическом районе Азербайджанской Республики в соответствии с трехсторонним заявлением, подписанным 10 ноября 2020 года Президентом Азербайджанской Республики, Президентом Российской Федерации и премьер-министром Армении, с территории страны в связи с досрочным прекращением его деятельности в соответствии с достигнутым соглашением между высшим руководством Азербайджана и России.
Церемония закрытия завершилась художественной программой с участием ансамбля песни и танца Армейского идеологического и культурного центра имени Ази Асланова, а также оркестра Военного института имени Гейдара Алиева Министерства обороны Азербайджанской Республики.

Состоялась церемония закрытия Совместного турецко-российского мониторингового центра