SSSG Detains Official of Enguri-Linked HPP Operating in Occupied Abkhazia
The State Security Service of Georgia has arrested an official from a subsidiary of Enguri HPP operating in occupied Abkhazia on suspicion of misappropriating funds....
Azerbaijan Introduces New Law on Social Media
A new law aims to strengthen control over social media in Azerbaijan, as reported by JAMnews. Reuters does not provide information on this topic; instead, it reports on Mdinaradze's statement....
Woman Evades Abduction after Fleeing Domestic Abuse
Aishat Khizrieva was targeted by unidentified individuals who claimed to be police officers in Novosibirsk. She had fled domestic abuse in Chechnya....
State Security Service Increased Wiretapping, Mamuka Mdinaradze Says
Mamuka Mdinaradze claims wiretapping has increased, contributing to a thirtyfold rise in information flow. He assured it is conducted legally under court warrants....
Azerbaijan Destroys Armenian Church in Nagorno-Karabakh
Satellite imagery analysis indicates Azerbaijan destroyed the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert. Construction began in 2006, according to Hetq....
Georgia 'Permanently Suspended' in Open Government Partnership
Georgia has been suspended from the Open Government Partnership due to concerns about its ability to maintain a collaborative environment between government and civil society. The decision comes after an assessment of Ge...
Armenian Deputy FM Positions Armenia as 'Bridge to Europe' at Antalya Forum
Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan spoke at a forum in Turkey, describing Armenia as a bridge to Europe and citing South Caucasus stability as the region's key competitive advantage....
GYLA Files ECHR Complaint Over Alleged Torture of Protesters in Georgia
The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA) has submitted a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights regarding individuals affected during pro-European protest rallies in November–December 2024. The organizat...
Freedom House Names Georgia Among New Countries Employing Transnational Repression
Freedom House has identified Georgia as one of six new countries using tactics of transnational repression in 2025, alongside Afghanistan, Benin, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The report documents how at least 54 govern...
Opinion: Control of Transit Corridors Now Defines South Caucasus Geopolitics
Georgian political analyst Paata Zakareishvili argues the South Caucasus has entered a transformative phase in which control over routes and infrastructure — not territory — has become the decisive factor in regional...
Georgian Dream to Refile Court Bid to Ban Opposition, Adding Federalists to List
Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party plans to withdraw its existing Constitutional Court appeal and resubmit a revised version that adds the Federalists party to the three opposition forces — UNM, Ahali/Coalition for ...
Azerbaijan Places Travel Ban on Wife of Jailed Opposition Politician Azar Gasimli
Samira Gasimli, wife of imprisoned Azerbaijani opposition politician Azar Gasimli, says she was barred from leaving Azerbaijan to attend a conference in Europe and subsequently discovered she had been placed under a trav...
Georgia's SSSG Arrests Two in Batumi on Islamic State Terrorism Charges
The State Security Service of Georgia announced the arrest of one Georgian citizen and one foreign national in the coastal city of Batumi on terrorism-related charges linked to the Islamic State group. The investigation ...
Pashinyan Accuses Detained Tycoon Karapetyan of Being a 'Foreign Agent'
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has publicly accused his detained opponent, Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, of acting as a 'foreign agent,' claiming authorities have compiled a dossier on him. Kar...
Chechen Opposition Activists Report Abduction of Six Residents in Grozny Settlement
The Chechen opposition movement NIYSO reported the abduction of at least six residents — including elderly individuals — from the Sheikh Iznaur settlement in Grozny, formerly known as Prigorodnoe. The reasons and cir...
Fringe Religious Leader Hailed as 'King' Found Dead in Tbilisi Apartment
Nikoloz (Nariman) Makarashvili, a suspended Orthodox cleric with a devoted fringe following who called him 'King,' 'God,' and 'saint,' was found dead on April 19 in his apartment in Tbilisi's Ponichala district. Police h...
Georgia's Foreign Trade Rises Marginally to $5.87 Billion in Q1 2026
Georgia's external merchandise trade totaled USD 5.867 billion in January–March 2026, a 0.2% year-on-year increase, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Office (Geostat). China remained the top ex...
Trump Organization Plans Skyscraper in Tbilisi Set to Be City's Tallest Building
According to the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump's business holding and its partners are planning to build a 'Trump Tower' in Tbilisi, Georgia, which would become the capital's tallest building. No further details on t...
Adam Kadyrov Awarded Commemorative Medal for Regiment Anniversary
Adam Kadyrov, 18-year-old son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov and Secretary of Chechnya's Security Council, received a commemorative medal marking the 20th anniversary of the special motorised Sever ('North') Regiment nam...
Soviet Anti-Religious Campaigns and the Suppression of American Jazz Ran in Parallel, Historian Argues
An Azerbaijani historian's second article on religion in Soviet Azerbaijan examines how the 20th Communist Party Congress of 1956 and Khrushchev's 'secret speech' shaped both anti-religious policy and cultural repression...