Bizi Birləşdirən Mədəniyyət (United by Culture) Public Association has announced the launch of its new initiative, “Art Without Borders”, set to become a landmark event in Azerbaijan’s cultural calendar, Azernews reports.
Day: January 16, 2026
Police arrested 16 individuals, including 10 minors, who are part of a “radical fascist groups” and who have “physically and psychologically abused people of various ages with extreme cruelty,” Tbilisi Police Chief Vazha Siradze announced at a January 16 briefing.
The suspects “referred to themselves as neo-Nazis and adhered to fascist ideology,” Siradze said, adding, “They displayed radical attitudes toward their victims and used extreme cruelty against those who did not agree with their ideology in order to increase their influence and notoriety.”
“The members of the gang recorded on their mobile phones photos and videos depicting violence against victims, degrading treatment, and physical and psychological abuse, and posted them on various online platforms,” Siradze said, adding that “more than ten individuals, including four minors,” are victims.
Police seized “mobile phones, masks, various electronic devices, items bearing Nazi symbols, and sonic and bladed weapons” during the searches of their homes, he added.
The case is being investigated under Criminal Code articles related to “inhuman treatment committed by a group against a minor with premeditation,” offenses punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Siradze said the leaders of similar radical groups, Levan Abesadze and Davit Jafarov, are already serving prison sentences after being arrested several months ago, alongside seven other members. He said that the ongoing investigation revealed that “other members of these ideologically motivated groups continued violent actions.”
On December 30, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced nine individuals, whom authorities described as members of a “fascist ideology gang,” to years in prison after finding them guilty of inhuman and degrading treatment of a minor.
The court found that members of the gang lured the minor to an abandoned building in Tbilisi under a premeditated plan, forced him to kneel, subjected him to physical and verbal abuse, and coerced him to apologize to the gang’s leader during a video call. They later posted the footage on social media.
Three adult defendants were sentenced to ten years in prison, three minors under 16 received six years and eight months, and three defendants under 18 were sentenced to seven and a half years.
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Neo-Nazis in Georgia
Tbilisi police have arrested 16 members of a radical neo-Nazi group who, according to investigators, systematically carried out physical and psychological abuse against people of different ages, including teenagers, and shared information about these acts on social media.
Ten of those arrested are minors.
According to Georgia’s interior ministry, members of the group described themselves as neo-Nazis and said they acted in line with a fascist ideology. Investigators say they used violence to expand their influence and establish their own “authority”, particularly against those who did not share their views.
The investigation found that the suspects subjected their victims to degrading treatment, physical punishment and psychological pressure. The abuse was filmed on mobile phones and later shared on various online platforms. Law enforcement officials say the material was used to raise the group’s profile.
More than a dozen people are reported to have suffered as a result of the group’s actions, including four minors.
During searches, police seized mobile phones, masks, electronic devices, items bearing Nazi symbols, as well as bladed weapons and sound weapons.
A criminal case has been opened under Article 144 of Georgia’s criminal code, which relates to inhuman treatment of minors committed by a group acting in prior collusion and carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Police say two leaders of local neo-Nazi groups, Levan Abesadze and Davit Japarov, are already serving sentences on similar charges.
The interior ministry says investigative actions are continuing at an intensive pace to identify other individuals linked to fascist groups. It has urged members of the public to contact the police immediately if they have any suspicions, in order to prevent violence against minors and the spread of extremist ideology among young people.
Neo-Nazis in Georgia
#OPINION: The countries of the #SouthCaucasus would strongly prefer stability and security in #Iran over chaos and uncertainty. Yet recent history has shown that mass protests and sudden political shifts can rapidly reshape the region, writes @LukeDCoffey arab.news/pkmbb
— Arab News (@arabnews) Jan 16, 2026