Latest news in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, summary. Live

● Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has lodged a protest after Milli Majlis deputy Azer Badamov was denied entry into Russia. “Badamov was part of an Azerbaijani delegation traveling to Astrakhan at the invitation of Vice Governor Denis Afanasyev to participate in events marking the 102nd anniversary of the national leader Heydar Aliyev’s birth. He was detained and then deported without any prior warning or explanation. We consider this an unfriendly step and expect clarification from Russia,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada told journalists.

● Baku has accused Russia of organizing a cyberattack on major pro-government Azerbaijani media outlets on February 20. “The attack was carried out by Russian-based hackers known as APT29, Cozy Bear, Midnight Blizzard, and The Dukes,” stated Ramid Namazov, head of the parliamentary commission on foreign interference and hybrid threats. He suggested the motive may have been Azerbaijan’s closure of the “Russian House” in Baku and the shutdown of the Azerbaijani service of Russia’s state news agency Sputnik. At the time, experts viewed this as a signal from Baku to Moscow demanding recognition of responsibility for the AZAL plane crash and payment of compensation. “Russia’s attack on Azerbaijani media contradicts the two countries’ allied declaration and the spirit of bilateral relations — a regrettable act,” Namazov was quoted as saying by the pro-government outlet Report. Moscow has not commented on the accusation.

● Opposition figure Tofig Yagublu, a member of the Musavat party and the National Council, is in critical condition after 35 days of hunger strike in protest of his imprisonment. His daughter posted his appeal to the public on Facebook. Yagublu wrote: “This may be my last message to you. This hunger strike — my protest against the unlawful, baseless, and absurd charges — is a painful and difficult ordeal, but my resolve grows stronger every day […] I committed no crime. I merely told Aliyev’s government the truth and called on people to fight for their rights […] Of course, I want to live, but what can I do? The Aliyev regime has left me no other choice, and I do not want to spend the last days of my life in prison. I believe that if I die, it will not be in vain — it will draw the world’s attention.”

* Yagublu was convicted of fraud, charges he calls fabricated. He says he is being persecuted for political reasons. Leading international human rights organizations recognize him as a political prisoner and are calling for his release. His appeal hearing is scheduled for May 6.

● Journalist Nurlan Gahramanli (Libre), arrested in the Meydan TV case, and Teymur Karimov, head of “Channel 11” who was sentenced to 8 years, began a hunger strike on May 3 in protest of politically motivated arrests and in solidarity with Yagublu. Gahramanli stated he would escalate the protest by sewing his mouth shut. “This is my way of telling the state that no one can silence me but myself,” he wrote on Facebook.

● Meydan TV staff currently in custody issued a public statement on World Press Freedom Day: “We address our country and the international community from our closed cells — by our very presence and work we continue to defy all repressive regimes. Those who think we have been silenced do not understand the liberating power of prison: our voices will grow louder and be heard more often […] A government that hides injustice under the rug will one day suffocate in its own stench,” the statement reads.

* Six Meydan TV staff are currently under arrest. Others detained in the same case include Ulvi Tahirov, deputy director of the Baku School of Journalism; Shamshad Agayev, editor-in-chief of Argument.az; journalist Nurlan Libre; and journalist Fatima Movlamli. All deny the charges and claim they are being persecuted for their professional activities. In total, about 30 journalists and activists are in prison on smuggling-related charges.

● Researcher Igbal Abilov, 36, who studies Talysh culture, faces a possible 19-year prison sentence. The prosecutor has demanded the maximum penalty. Abilov is charged with treason, which he firmly denies. His lawyer says the prosecution has no solid evidence. Read and watch more here

● The investigation into Imran Aliyev, head of majlis.info, and activist Elgiz Gahraman has been completed. According to their families, the first court hearing is scheduled for May 20. Both face smuggling and financial crime charges and up to 12 years in prison. They deny all accusations and say the case is politically motivated.

● Azerbaijan has fallen to 167th place out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index, dropping three more spots compared to last year. “There is no longer a single independent media outlet in Azerbaijan,” said Jean Cavellier, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.

● The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has shut down its office in Azerbaijan. The reasons were not disclosed. UNDP had operated in the country since 1992, implementing dozens of projects including support for small businesses and environmental protection.

● “Despite repeated appeals, Armenia fails to fulfill its obligations under international law,” said Azerbaijani Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva. Her statement came after the discovery of two more mass graves in Shusha and Khojaly in Karabakh, believed to contain the remains of civilians, with signs of possible torture. “3,990 people are still listed as missing as a result of Armenia’s aggression. So far, the identities of about 170 individuals have been confirmed from remains found in mass graves,” she said.

Meydan TV collage: arrested Azerbaijani journalists:

● In Chiatura, manganese mine workers continue protests against mass layoffs following a reorganization process announced by company management. Tents have been set up outside the city hall. Four miners who were arrested have been on hunger strike since April 29, contesting their detention. They are accused of attacking the director of one of the mines—according to Chiatura Management Company, he was pulled out of his car and pelted with stones. The protesters, however, claim that excessive force was used during the arrests. The workers demand the release of the detained miners and resolution of long-standing issues: guarantees of safety, decent working conditions, debt relief, and increased wages. They insist that leaders of “Georgian Dream” come to Chiatura to resolve the crisis. Meanwhile, the company is trying to gather signatures from supporters of the reorganization. Here is a story on what happened

● The 5th president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili: “Today I went to a Carrefour supermarket. If you don’t know Russian, you can’t choose anything for yourself—only a few items have Georgian labels, written in such tiny font that no person with normal vision could read them. There’s no point even talking about food quality control. You get into a taxi and meet a driver who doesn’t know the language or the city, and who doesn’t even need a license. Tour guides are now Russians or other foreigners introducing people to Georgia’s history and landmarks. No one cares about accurately representing our culture and history or about employing and supporting our citizens. The country is run by people focused on repression and self-enrichment. Russians spend their time in restaurants and shops, acting like they’re at home. Soon, with the visa-free regime, citizens of countries practically barred from Europe and the US will be able to enter Georgia. Meanwhile, our visa-free regime with Europe—something that saved many people in recent years, gave them education, and helped families thanks to remittances from relatives abroad—is under threat. ‘Georgian Dream’ is setting visa liberalization and patriotism against each other. Our citizens face prison, fines, unemployment, unsafe working conditions, and injustice everywhere. And this is called patriotism?”

● Grigol Beselia, former head of the Adjara police and a witness in the case against detained journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, has been promoted. Amaghlobeli, founder of independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, faces up to seven years in prison after slapping the Batumi police chief who insulted her during a protest. Beselia had arrested her an hour before that incident for placing a poster on a police building. He has now been appointed deputy director of the Central Criminal Police Department. Giorgi Bukhrashvili has replaced him in Adjara.

● The floor of a three-story residential building collapsed on Dadiani Street in Tbilisi, leaving two people with minor injuries. Rescue teams are on-site. Irakli Adguladze, head of the Nadzaladevi district, said all affected families have been temporarily placed in a hotel. “We will also cover their rent during the reconstruction of the building. This had been offered before, but residents declined,” said Adguladze.

● Tbilisi Central announced that they are ready to prepare a reconstruction plan for the commercial area at the Borjomi railway station, where a major fire broke out a few days ago, destroying dozens of shops and warehouses. They said they will invest as soon as they receive official approval for operation from state authorities.

In the photo by JAMnews: a protester in Tbilisi holds a sign with the name of Mirian Kavtaradze — a police officer who filed a complaint claiming he was insulted by two young women, Ana Kurashvili and Miranda Bagaturia, who work in the press services of the opposition parties “Girchi — More Freedom” and “Ahali.” Each of them was fined 4,000 lari (around \$1,800), while the Ministry of Internal Affairs had demanded prison sentences. For the sixth consecutive month, large-scale pro-European protests have been ongoing in Georgia, with demands to hold new parliamentary elections and thus legally change the government, as well as to release arrested activists. Many protesters now wear various masks to prevent their faces from being recognized by the numerous surveillance cameras installed across central Tbilisi in recent months. Many participants have already received hefty fines for protesting — often three times or more than the average salary:

● “The next meetings within the 3+3 platform should take place in Yerevan and Baku in turn, in the order decided by the parties themselves. This format also allows discussion of regional security issues, including those being promoted by the West,” Russian Ambassador Sergey Kopyrkin told 168.am. “We hope our Armenian allies will not allow Russophobic forces in the West to use their beautiful country to open a ‘second front’ in the region against Russia, nor undermine their involvement in Eurasian integration processes,” Kopyrkin said. The 3+3 format includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia on one side, and Russia, Turkey, and Iran on the other. Georgia, however, has repeatedly refused to participate in the platform, stating that it will not cooperate in any format that includes Russia, which is occupying its territories.

● Former president Serzh Sargsyan dismissed widespread claims of a rift with his predecessor Robert Kocharyan. “Leave this topic alone. We have different views on some issues. But I’m not fighting for popularity — I’m fighting for a change of power. I don’t think there’s a country in the world where former presidents agree 100% on everything. But I don’t consider Robert Kocharyan an enemy. It would be fair to ask him the same question,” Sargsyan said during a meeting with students.

● “Azerbaijanis destroyed monuments in the village of Vank in the Martakert region of Karabakh. They demolished the World War II memorial, a khachkar commemorating victims of the First Karabakh War, and a memorial wall with sculptures of fallen soldiers,” reported the Yerevan-based Artsakh Monuments Preservation Service.

● Activist Artur Chakhoyan, who was beaten several days ago by the head of Yerevan’s Nor Nork district administration and his staff, has been discharged from the hospital.

● A large-scale cleanup was held in Yerevan. In the photo below, servicemen are seen cleaning the Yerablur military pantheon.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 28 April-2 May, 2025