Podcasts

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Illustration by Tamar Shvelidze/OC Media.

2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Podcast | Georgia gears up for the 2024 parliamentary elections

by OC Media

•2 min read

With Georgia’s parliamentary elections inching closer, both the ruling Georgian Dream party and the many groups representing the opposition are scrambling to prepare for the critical vote on 26 October. This week, OC Media’s Robin Fabbro, Mariam Nikuradze, and Shota Kincha discuss how the pre-election campaign period has been going, claims of electoral violations by Georgian Dream, and the atmosphere in Georgia ahead of the vote. Read more: * Who’s who in Georgia’s pa

Chiatura Manganese Mines

Podcast | Shukruti’s last stand against Georgian Manganese

by OC Media

•2 min read

The residents of Shukruti, a village in Georgia’s western Chiatura region, have been protesting mining under their village carried out by Georgian Manganese for years. In September, they relocated their protest to Georgia’s Parliament in Tbilisi, demanding that the government intervene in their dispute with the mining company. Those protesting around the clock in front of parliament are constantly exposed to the elements as the weather grows colder, with at least six of th

Kesaria Abramidze. Image: Erti ambavi merikostan/Facebook.

Georgia

Podcast | Kesaria Abramidze’s murder and transphobia in Georgia

by OC Media

•2 min read

The high-profile murder of Kesaria Abramidze, a prominent Georgian trans model and media personality, has sent shockwaves through Georgia’s queer community, with many accusing the government of enabling her murder through their transphobic and homophobic rhetoric and their ‘LGBT propaganda’ law. Abramidze’s suspected murder, her former partner, was charged with committing a hate crime based on gender, and not one based on Abramidze’s gender identity. This week, we spoke to

Armenia

Podcast | ‘A year of uncertainty’ since Nagorno-Karabakh’s surrender

by OC Media

•2 min read

It has been a year since Nagorno-Karabakh’s surrender and dissolution following an Azerbaijani assault on the region. The assault pushed the vast majority of the region’s population to flee their homes and to seek refuge in Armenia, where they were met with bureaucratic hurdles and insufficient support from the Armenian government. This week, we spoke with Tigran Grigoryan, a political analyst and the head of the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, about Armenia’s

the BRICS 2023 summit. Image via New York Times.

Armenia

Podcast | Brics and the South Caucasus

by Yousef Bardouka

•2 min read

BRICS, an intergovernmental organisation named after its core members, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, appears to be making inroads in the South Caucasus, with Azerbaijan applying for its membership, and Armenia accepting an invitation to participate in a BRICS summit in Russia, despite its deteriorating relations with Moscow. This week, we speak to Azerbaijani independent researcher Shujaat Ahmadzada about Azerbaijan’s prospects for joining the organisatio

Samadov leaving the court on 23 August. Screengrab from video: Giyas Ibrahim/X

Armenia–Azerbaijan Conflict

Podcast | The Bahruz Samadov case

by OC Media

•2 min read

Bahruz Samadov, a political analyst, OC Media contributor, and outspoken advocate for peace with Armenia has been arrested in Azerbaijan and charged with treason. His arrest was preceded by the arrest of another researcher, Iqbal Abilov, on the same charges, leading many to fear that Azerbaijan has begun targeting researchers and peace activists. This week, we spoke with journalist Arzu Geybulla about the significance of Samadov’s arrest and the charges pressed against him

Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting the No. 1 School in Beslan, North Ossetia. Image via social media.

Beslan School Siege

Podcast | The Beslan siege: 20 years on

by OC Media

•2 min read

The siege of Beslan has left a scar on both North Ossetia and Russia. Twenty years on, many in North Ossetia still await the results of an investigation into the Russian authorities’ handling of the crisis, which they believe might have contributed to the deaths of over 300 people — among them 186 children. This week, we spoke with Zalina Bogazova, a survivor of Beslan, about how those events have continued to shape the lives of her and hundreds of others, and with Ossetia