Georgia - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Latest Georgia News

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili speaks in Tbilisi on February 8, after being forced to deliver his address from the presidential residence because protesters prevented access to the the National Library.

Saakashvili Seeks To Ease Political Crisis

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said he is prepared for immedate talks with Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and the government regarding "constitutional changes and other issues affecting the development of the country." More

Ex-Georgian Ministry Spokesman Detained

Media reports say the former spokesman of Georgia's Interior Ministry, Guram Donadze, has been detained upon arrival from Turkey at Tbilisi airport. More

WATCH: Protests outside the National Library, where Saakashvili was originally expected to speak.

Georgia Detains 3 Over Tbilisi Violence

Georgian authorities have fined and released two of three people detained for involvement in a February 8 protest in Tbilisi during which several lawmakers from President Mikheil Saakashvili's party were assaulted. More

WATCH: Saakashvili Delivers His Last Annual Address As President

Saakashvili Gives Controversial Address

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is giving his annual address in Tbilisi after a day of postponements and amid a growing political crisis in the country. More

Former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili appears in court last year.

Georgia Ex-Minister Cleared Of Charges

An appeals court in Tbilisi has dropped the last of the criminal charges faced by former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili. More

More Georgia News

Latest Blog Posts

Olympic Wrestling Snub Would Hit Post-Soviet States Hard

The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to demote wrestling from its list of so-called core sports for the 2020 Olympics has shocked athletes and boosters of the sport around the world. More

Georgian Parliament Majority's Defiance Could Play Into President's Hands

Both President Mikheil Saakashvili and Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili are seeking to turn the situation in Georgia to their respective political advantage by affirming their readiness to reach a compromise that would ensure peaceful coexistence until Saakashvili's presidential term expires in October. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

Among other things, a new report claims that several countries allowed planes carrying suspects detained by the CIA to overfly or transit their territory. (file photo)

Report Says 54 Countries Offered Rendition Support

A rights advocacy groups says more than 50 countries cooperated with the CIA's secret program to detain and forcefully interrogate terrorist suspects following deadly attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

The allegations center on two-time world champion Luka Kurtanidze (center), who is accused of viciously beating up his deputy, Temur Kazarashvili, as well as prominent wrestler Raindi Abramishvili.

Wrestlers' Alleged Beating Reveals Political Underbelly Of Georgian Sports

Georgia's wrestling federation was hit by an ugly scandal this week when two of its members publicly accused the federation's president of beating them up. The alleged violence has caused dismay and shone a spotlight on what many denounce as bitter political infighting in Georgian sports.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said his government will offer an "in-or-out" referendum after it renegotiates the terms of its relationship with the EU.

Explainer: How Would Possible British Exit Affect EU Foreign Policy?

RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent, Rikard Jozwiak, looks at how a possible "Brexit" -- or even a looser relationship between Britain and the EU -- might affect the bloc's enlargement and foreign policy.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has denied any involvement in the scandal.

Former Georgian Government Hit By Sex-Tape Scandal

It has all the elements of a resounding scandal: corrupt cops, gay-sex videos, blackmail, and celebrities.

Then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (third from right) chairs a Eurasian Customs Union meeting in 2009.

Invigorated Customs Union Presents Russia's Neighbors With Stark Choice

Russian President Vladimir Putin's premier foreign-policy initiative, the Eurasian Customs Union, is showing unprecedented vitality. But the European Union says membership in the ECU is incompatible with closer economic ties with the EU. This confronts many former Soviet states -- especially Ukraine and Moldova -- with a stark choice.

RFE/RL's Georgian Service is widely regarded as the only objective and unbiased source of information in Georgia, where the government still retains a firm grip on media.