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dispersal

16–18 May 2013: the days of human tragedies

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•12 min read

On 17 May 2013, International Day Against Homophobia, a small group of around 50 queer rights activists were confronted in Tbilisi by thousands of counter-demonstrators led by Georgian Orthodox priests. Demonstrators carried posters with homophobic messages such as: ‘We don’t need Sodom and Gomorrah in Georgia’. The crowds, some carrying nettles to beat queer rights activists with, broke through police lines to attack the activists. Police were forced to evacuate the small number of activists

Armenia

As thousands rally for a ‘Velvet Revolution’ — Serzh Sargsyan is not yet relinquishing his grasp on power

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•7 min read

As protests in Yerevan continue unabated, Serzh Sargsyan’s grip on power seems as tight now as ever before. Whatever their outcome, one thing seems clear, discontent against his rule has become more pronounced than ever before. A new protest anthem has been echoing across Yerevan’s streets in recent days: ‘…I have been defeated many times, And saw the snigger of Evil, But my soul knows no surrender, I am taking a step…’ The author of the song is the charismatic Nikol Pashinyan, who

Alliance of Patriots

Borjomi’s mayor and staff go on strike

by OC Media

•6 min read

The mayor of Borjomi Municipality, in southern Georgia’s Samtskhe–Javakheti Region, refused to show up for work on 2 March, along with 90 other employees of the mayor’s office. They went on strike after not being paid for the past three months, in a disagreement between the municipal council (sakrebulo) and the mayor’s office over pay. Borjomi’s municipal council have failed to approve a new staff list and staff budget for the mayor’s office since mid-January, leading the entire staff to go

bank

The two faces of Georgia’s banking sector [Opinion]

by Tato Khundadze

•5 min read

In February 2017, Georgian trade unions and left-leaning activists and civil society groups organised large rallies in Rustavi and Tbilisi to support employees of the Azoti plant that were laid off without notice. Reportedly, the Bank of Georgia took over Azoti, which is the largest nitrogen manufacturing plant in Georgia, and dismissed three-hundred-and-fifty workers with no prior warning. The reaction to the firings marked the first time in the history of Georgia that a well-articulat