Podcast | Evidence of Azerbaijani war crimes and the SSG's involvement in the abduction of Mukhtarli

October 5, 2022 7:48 PM

In this week’s episode of the Caucasus Digest, Robin Fabbro talks to Ani Avetisyan and Ismi Aghayev about the latest accusations of war crimes levelled against Azerbaijan.

OC Media co-director and journalist Mariam Nikuradze discusses the Georgian State Security Service’s involvement in the abduction of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli in 2017, as well as other controversies surrounding the agency.

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Afgan Mukhtarli

ECHR rules there was insufficient evidence Georgian Government kidnapped Mukhtarli

Robin Fabbro

••3 min read

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond doubt that the Georgian Government abducted investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli and handed him over to Azerbaijan. Mukhtarli, a prominent journalist known for investigating official corruption in Azerbaijan, disappeared from the streets of Tbilisi on the night of 29 May 2017. He reappeared in Azerbaijani custody a day later and was charged with illegally crossing the border. In it

Ioseb (Soso) Gogashvili in court. Photo: Mzia Saganelidze / RFE/RL

Afgan Mukhtarli

Former Georgian security chief sentenced to five years

Tata Shoshiashvili

••3 min read

The former deputy head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), Ioseb (Soso) Gogashvili, has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges including abuse of power. Supporters of the former official claim the charges are politically motivated. Tbilisi City Court announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon. The court found Gogashvili guilty of all five charges, which included exceeding official powers, obtaining, storing, and disseminating personal data, and illegally purchasing a

Afgan Mukhtarli

Mukhtarli identifies top Georgian security official as one of his kidnappers

Shota Kincha

••4 min read

Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli has identified Giorgi Trapaidze, the head of Georgian counterintelligence, as being personally among his abductors. Nodar Meladzis Shabati, an investigative show on TV channel Pirveli, broke the story on 1 October. After showing Mukhtarli images of three officials from the State Security Service (SSG) possibly involved in his kidnapping, Mukhtarli recognised Trapaidze as the driver of the car by which he was taken from Tbilisi. Mukhtarli, a prominent

Afgan Mukhtarli

Kidnap, smuggling, and rigged elections: 5 allegations by Georgia’s former security chief

Shota Kincha

••6 min read

A former deputy director of Georgia’s security service has made a series of serious accusations against the government in recent months, ranging from the kidnapping of a political activist to setting up a system to smuggle goods over the Russian-Georgian border. We’ve rounded up five of his most provocative allegations below. Around midnight on 15 July, police arrested the former deputy director of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), Soso (Ioseb) Gogashvili, raiding his house. F