Any cell phone on board could be the potential guiding target of the laser or missile attack – GS https://t.co/zuKEw9D2Z9
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) May 22, 2024
Day: May 22, 2024
Any cell phone on board could be the potential guiding target of the laser or missile attack – GS https://t.co/zuKEw9D2Z9
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) May 22, 2024
2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash – W: Cell phones were in use https://t.co/g1c8RhfLex
–#NewsAndTimes #NT #TNT #News #Times#World #USA #POTUS #DOJ #FBI #CIA #DIA #ODNI#Israel #Mossad #Netanyahu#Ukraine #NewAbwehr #OSINT#Putin #Russia #GRU #Путин, #Россия #SouthCaucasus… pic.twitter.com/WC1HwlWdju— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) May 22, 2024
On May 22, the McCain Institute, George W. Bush Institute, and Freedom House issued a strong-worded statement calling on the United States and its European allies “to immediately impose travel restrictions and financial sanctions against individuals responsible for undermining Georgia’s democratic development and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, including high-ranking Georgian Dream officials and their families.” The organizations also stress that Washington must stand with the people of Georgia “against the autocratic actions” of their government.
The statement says the Georgian Foreign Agents Law mirrors the similar law of Russia and is a “draconian” legislation which “suffocates civil society and media by exposing potential government critics to overly burdensome regulations and imposing crippling fines on organizations and private individuals who fail to comply.”
The organizations also react to the peaceful protests in Georgian against this “authoritarian power grab,” accusing the government of “a violent crackdown.” “The people of Georgia recognize this bill is the latest threat to their rights and freedom, and they are making clear that the future of Georgia lies with Europe and democracy, not Russia and repression,” the statement reads.
“Following Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, Senator John McCain famously stated that ‘we are all Georgians.’ Today, our organizations continue to stand with the people of Georgia and their demands for a free, democratic future,” the statement concludes.
During his late night interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster on May 22, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze reacted to the Venice Commission’s urgent opinion on the Foreign Agents Law, calling it “faltering” and accusing the Commission of “having rejected the professional dignity.”
During the interview, the Prime Minister defended the controversial bill and reiterated his accusations towards the Georgian President, the opposition, civil society and the Western partners for their alleged role in closing the space for “healthy discussions” around the law. PM Kobakhidze labeled the opposition’s stance on the bill as a “fight against transparency.”
Prime Minister Kobakhidze claimed that the Commission’s opinion is “full of absurd notes” and “lies” and lacks legal discussion. “But in the end, the public does not look at what the Venice Commission said, but where the truth lies, and this is one of the serious achievements we have had in these 2-3 years.” In this context, he argued that Georgia now is “as sovereign as never before” with its people cherishing the country’s independence more and more.
Among other things, during the interview the Georgian Prime Minister once again talked about the conspiracies of “two revolutionary attempts” in the past, and also called the Georgian Dream’s opponents a “collective United National Movement” that is ruled with “one hand”, seeing the Georgian Dream’s duty to expose this “truth” to the public.
As for the other issues, he also talked about the education policy in Georgia, accusing the former UNM government of collapse in this field, and said that the system needs “substantial” changes. In this regard, he said that “even more serious problems have been created in higher education systems. If we take TSU [Tbilisi State University], where I also teach, we have the worst overall picture. One factor is that a large number of professors are selected solely on political grounds. This means that they have a political bias, it’s clear whose side they’re on, and they don’t have enough qualifications”. He promised reforms and said he expects that these reforms will face resistance similar to the Foreign Agents Law…
More to follow…
On May 22, the McCain Institute, George W. Bush Institute, and Freedom House issued a strong-worded statement calling on the United States and its European allies “to immediately impose travel restrictions and financial sanctions against individuals responsible for undermining Georgia’s democratic development and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, including high-ranking Georgian Dream officials and their families.” The organizations also stress that Washington must stand with the people of Georgia “against the autocratic actions” of their government.
The statement says the Georgian Foreign Agents Law mirrors the similar law of Russia and is a “draconian” legislation which “suffocates civil society and media by exposing potential government critics to overly burdensome regulations and imposing crippling fines on organizations and private individuals who fail to comply.”
The organizations also react to the peaceful protests in Georgian against this “authoritarian power grab,” accusing the government of “a violent crackdown.” “The people of Georgia recognize this bill is the latest threat to their rights and freedom, and they are making clear that the future of Georgia lies with Europe and democracy, not Russia and repression,” the statement reads.
“Following Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, Senator John McCain famously stated that ‘we are all Georgians.’ Today, our organizations continue to stand with the people of Georgia and their demands for a free, democratic future,” the statement concludes.
During his late night interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster on May 22, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze reacted to the Venice Commission’s urgent opinion on the Foreign Agents Law, calling it “faltering” and accusing the Commission of “having rejected the professional dignity.”
During the interview, the Prime Minister defended the controversial bill and reiterated his accusations towards the Georgian President, the opposition, civil society and the Western partners for their alleged role in closing the space for “healthy discussions” around the law. PM Kobakhidze labeled the opposition’s stance on the bill as a “fight against transparency.”
Prime Minister Kobakhidze claimed that the Commission’s opinion is “full of absurd notes” and “lies” and lacks legal discussion. “But in the end, the public does not look at what the Venice Commission said, but where the truth lies, and this is one of the serious achievements we have had in these 2-3 years.” In this context, he argued that Georgia now is “as sovereign as never before” with its people cherishing the country’s independence more and more.
Among other things, during the interview the Georgian Prime Minister once again talked about the conspiracies of “two revolutionary attempts” in the past, and also called the Georgian Dream’s opponents a “collective United National Movement” that is ruled with “one hand”, seeing the Georgian Dream’s duty to expose this “truth” to the public.
As for the other issues, he also talked about the education policy in Georgia, accusing the former UNM government of collapse in this field, and said that the system needs “substantial” changes. In this regard, he said that “even more serious problems have been created in higher education systems. If we take TSU [Tbilisi State University], where I also teach, we have the worst overall picture. One factor is that a large number of professors are selected solely on political grounds. This means that they have a political bias, it’s clear whose side they’re on, and they don’t have enough qualifications”. He promised reforms and said he expects that these reforms will face resistance similar to the Foreign Agents Law…
More to follow…
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