violence

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Liya Argba and David Gobechiya. Images via RFE/RL and a screengrab from Telegram.

Abkhazia

Journalist and activist attacked by ‘masked men’ in Abkhazia

by OC Media

•2 min read

An independent journalist, David Gobechiya, and a member of an anti-government activist group, Liya Agrba, were attacked by a masked group outside Sukhumi (Sukhum) on Sunday, an incident opposition groups claim was politically motivated. Gobechiya is the editor of Dnews and Abkhaz Portal, independent Abkhazian Telegram channels, while Agrba is a member of the Hara H-Pitsunda (‘Our Pitsunda’) movement, formed in 2022 to protest the transfer of a Soviet state dacha to Russia. According to

chechens

Editorial | Georgia’s show of force in Pankisi was reckless and irresponsible

by OC Media

•5 min read

A pitched battle between protesters and riot police in Georgia’s Pankisi Valley has undone years of work to build trust with a community that has been historically marginalised. The government needs to prioritise a more participatory approach to regional development over business interests. On Sunday, environmental protesters in northeast Georgia’s Pankisi Valley clashed with riot police over the resumption of construction work on a hydropower plant (HPP) — the third in the valley.

Armenia

‘I keep silent and put up with it’ — surviving domestic violence in Armenia

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

Despite a new law being passed to tackle domestic violence in 2018, women’s rights groups say not enough is being done. ‘We got married at the end of 2017. The wedding was not luxurious, but our love was strong. We were both over 30 years old — that is, mature and accomplished people — and we knew very well what having a family meant and had a clear vision of the future’, Sona (not her real name) says. Just a week after the small wedding feast, Sona’s husband attacked her for the first ti

Chechnya

‘If she goes out — her relatives will kill her’

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•4 min read

‘A woman should know her place. A woman should show love to us all. A woman is property, and she belongs to a man. If a woman walks around naked, or if she does not behave properly, she answers to her husband, her father, and her brother. According to our customs, if a woman goes out too freely, her relatives will kill her… That’s how it happens. A brother kills his sister, a husband kills his wife… But as President, I cannot allow them to be killed. So, women shouldn’t wear shorts.’ This s

abuse

Sexual violence in the family: a taboo topic in Armenia

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

Spousal rape and sexual violence affects many women in Armenia, and cultural taboos and shaming of victims means that women often do not come forward. While changes in the law were supposed to counter this, many activists say the problem of sexual violence remains dire, and the women affected are still left with little protection. Armine (not her real name) has married twice. Her first marriage lasted only a few days, because she found out that her husband and his step-mother were in an

gender

Voice from Tbilisi | ‘He would marry me if I withdrew the charges’

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•8 min read

‘It happened two years ago, on 20 February 2016. I had just started a new job. I was also teaching school children English and maths, which is why I had to commute from Kavtaradze Street to Sololaki. Late in the evenings and at about midnight I would come back home to Dighomi. That day I decided to walk from the metro home, as I didn’t want to pay for a taxi. I just thought I could walk, as I wasn’t afraid. I was born and grew up here.’ ‘No one heard my cries’ Women in Georgia very o

abuse

Opinion | Armenia’s female councillors were abused for challenging the patriarchal political system

by Anna Nikoghosyan

•8 min read

On 13 February, female councillors from Armenia’s women-led opposition party Yerkir Tsirani were attacked, physically and sexually, during a Yerevan City Council session. The women were later blamed for the attack, and for ‘inappropriate behaviour’ in the council. While the women politicians’ actions were met with hostility from some, they have also sparked public resistance against gendered violence, and against the patriarchal political system that perpetuates it. Nonviolence meets force