United States President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that he “tested” the rest of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with his country’s military campaign in Iran, AzerNEWS reports.
Category: South Caucasus News
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Several political groups in occupied Tskhinvali/South Ossetia joined an initiative group that endorsed the candidacy of Marat Kambolov, a de facto acting leader, to run in the so-called early “presidential vote” slated for September 18, following the resignation of Alan Gagloev on June 23.
Kambolov, a North Ossetia-born longtime Russian official, was appointed as Tskhinvali’s de facto prime minister on June 16, weeks after the signing of the so-called “Treaty on Deepening Allied Cooperation” on May 9, with the document foreseeing, among others, that “citizens” of one side “may hold state and municipal positions” in the other. Tbilisi views the treaty as another step towards Moscow’s annexation of Georgia’s occupied regions.
Following the resignation of Gagloev, the former de facto “president” who became the advisor of the Russian President Vladimir Putin on the day of his resignation, Kambolov took over his duties and is now expected to run in the September 18 “presidential elections.”
On July 2, Tskhinvali-based RES outlet reported that an initiative group formed by workers of BTK-4 factory submitted a petition to the “central election commission” endorsing Kambolov’s nomination to run in the vote, making him the first nominated “presidential” candidate.
In the following days, various local political groups and figures – including Nykhas, Edinaya Ossetia, Communist Party, Yedinstvo, joined the initiative group or publicly endorsed Kambolov’s candidacy.
According to local reports, Kambolov was present during the July 7 assembly of the initiative group that “unanimously” endorsed his candidacy and thanked the group members for the support.
The de facto election administration will run the registration of the candidates until August 24.
Also Read:
A minor was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison after the Tbilisi City Court found them guilty of torture committed by an organized group motivated by intolerance, as well as organizing and participating in group violence, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on July 7.
The sentence was automatically reduced by one-third under Georgia’s juvenile justice code, resulting in a final prison term of nine years and eight months.
The defendant, whose identity has not been disclosed, held “fascist-Nazi ideology,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said, adding that they “organized violence and torture against people whose lifestyles were deemed unacceptable by the group, including minors, and subjected victims to physical and psychological abuse.”
The charges included two counts of “torture committed by an organized group” (Article 144¹ of the Criminal Code), as well as an additional charge of committing the same offense “knowingly against a minor,” and “organizing and participating in group violence” (Article 225). The date of the defendant’s arrest has not been revealed.
Georgian police have arrested at least 15 minors in recent months, including in January and March, on allegations of involvement in “neo-Nazi” and “radical fascist” groups that physically and psychologically abused people of various ages, including minors, with “extreme cruelty.”
The broader issue of group violence involving minors has also come into focus in connection with the high-profile murder case of 28-year-old tutor Giga Avaliani. In February, prosecutors charged the three defendants in the case – who were already in pre-trial detention over Avaliani’s killing and were later convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms – with involvement in four additional group violence incidents.
Also Read: