Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 24-28 February, 2025

● Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov will award the surviving crew members of the AZAL plane that crashed near Aktau after failing to land in Grozny last December. A memorial plaque will be installed in Grozny to honor the victims. Kadyrov also extended condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the families of those who perished.

● Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry rejected Armenia’s statement on the Sumgait events, calling it “baseless” and a “falsification of history.” The ministry claimed the 1988 unrest was a “deliberate provocation orchestrated by the USSR leadership, Armenian nationalist ideologues, and extremist groups”.

Armenia’s February 27 statement, marking the anniversary of the Sumgait riots that saw many ethnic Armenians killed, described them as part of a “violent policy” that “lasted until September 2023, resulting in the full ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population.”

● Bloomberg’s correspondent accreditation in Azerbaijan has been revoked, Report news agency states, citing sources.

● A new bus route from Ganja to Shusha launches tomorrow, with daily departures from Ganja’s international bus terminal at 08:00 and return trips at 14:45.

●  The Caucasus Muslims Office has issued a fatwa declaring the start of Ramazan. In Azerbaijan, the holy month begins on March 1, with Ramazan Bayramı to be celebrated on March 30.

● The snowfall has ended, but the crisis in western Georgia persists.

Despite round-the-clock efforts to clear snow-blocked roads, many villages in Guria remain cut off. Residents lack food, water, medicine, and heating. The situation remains critical in Imereti as well.

● “It could get even worse,” warns Nino Chkhobadze, head of “Greens of Georgia – Friends of the Earth.”

“We must start preparing now for floods and landslides in heavily snowed-in regions. Consider spring already here. There’s no time to waste—disaster will strike unexpectedly. In the coming days, temperatures will drop, ice will form, and the snow will get heavier, posing a risk to rooftops. Time is of the essence. Evacuations are necessary,” she said.

However, authorities dismiss the need for evacuation. “We remain optimistic,” said Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. “No further snowfall is expected, and we hope this will speed up rescue efforts and road clearing. Let’s wait—we are ready for any scenario.”

● The head of the Emergency Management Service, Temur Mgebrishvili, even declared that “the problem is solved.”

“There are only a few villages left that we haven’t reached yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know what’s happening there. We have full control of the situation and don’t anticipate any further difficulties,” he said.

●  Meanwhile, a volunteer-run database is flooded with distress calls from residents of hundreds of stranded settlements.

“Three small children are sick. We need fever medication.”
“My grandfather has asthma. He needs medicine, and we need to clear the snow off the roof.”
“The roof collapsed. The family has nowhere to sleep.”
“Elderly woman—unable to move on her own.”

The database updates in real-time, allowing volunteer rescuers to prioritize urgent cases.

●  As people in Guria and Imereti struggle without food, water, electricity, and gas, state agencies continue spending on restaurant services, according to investigative journalists at iFact.

Between February 20 and 27, the government signed restaurant contracts worth 14,000 GEL (approx. $5,000). During the same period, the Adjara Tourism Department hosted four Spanish and Italian content creators, with their visit costing the budget 7,665 GEL (approx. $2,700), nearly half of which was spent on dining.

●  Despite harsh weather, pro-European street protests continue across the country.

In Tbilisi yesterday, as for the past 91 days, demonstrators blocked the road in front of Parliament—a persistent show of defiance, unity, and unwavering demands for new, fair elections and the release of political prisoners.

●  Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claims the EU is funding Georgian street protests, allegedly paying demonstrators up to €120 per day.

“The EU leadership is determined to bring Georgia back onto the path of democracy and European integration at any cost. Brussels’ Eurocrats cannot afford to lose this key outpost of Western influence in the South Caucasus,” the agency stated.

● Meanwhile, the European Union has announced a new €1.5 million program to support Georgian civil society.

The two-year initiative aims to benefit 500 NGOs and charities, as well as up to 3,000 individuals, including activists, youth, teachers, and scholars. Business representatives—about 50 regional companies—will also be eligible for support.

● Georgia’s ranking in The Economist’s Democracy Index has dropped to 94th place from 89th—the country’s sharpest decline on record.

Georgia’s best performance was in 2013, when it ranked 78th with 5.95 points (out of 167). The country has been sliding in the rankings since 2018, notes BM.ge.

Photo: The volunteer-run website tracking the relief efforts in the snow-affected regions.

●Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement on the 37th anniversary of the Sumgait pogroms, calling them the result of a “systematic policy of oppression and persecution.”

“The mass killings and torture of Armenians that began in Sumgait continued with the same brutality and regularity in Baku, Kirovabad, and Maraga. As a result, hundreds of Armenians were killed, and around half a million were forcibly displaced. The cycles of violent policies persisted until September 2023, when the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh faced complete ethnic cleansing.

As we remember these events, we honor the memory of the innocent victims every year. At the same time, we believe that these are not just days of mourning but a reminder of the need to overcome hostility to prevent such tragedies in the future.”

● Before the border delimitation process resumes in Tavush, another meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions is expected, possibly in March, according to Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

●  “The key to bringing Armenian prisoners back home lies with Pashinyan,” said former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. He urged the Prime Minister to immediately halt all negotiations with Baku and sever ties until the captives are returned.

● Footballer Henrikh Mkhitaryan voiced support for Ruben Vardanyan, who remains imprisoned in Baku. On Instagram, he shared a post and a photo from Vardanyan’s trial, showing visible bruises on the former unrecognized NKR state minister’s face.

● “Ruben Vardanyan’s face tells the story of what’s happening in Baku’s prisons,” said MP Andranik Kocharyan, commenting on the photo. The head of the parliamentary defense committee called the treatment of Karabakh leaders a form of “torture, pointing to their emaciated and exhausted appearance as clear evidence”.

●  Azerbaijan’s Ombudsperson has yet to respond to a request from her Armenian counterpart, Anahit Manasyan, regarding Armenian prisoners, Manasyan told reporters. She first reached out to Sabina Aliyeva nearly two years ago.

●  Freedom House has classified Armenia as a “partly free” country, awarding it 54 out of 100 possible points—the same score as last year. Armenia scored 23 out of 40 in the civil liberties category.

● Azerbaijan commemorated the victims of the Khojaly tragedy.
Read more here: https://rb.gy/5sc7b8

● Journalist Shahnaz Beylergyzy, arrested in early February as part of the “Toplum TV case,” has been released to house arrest. More details here: https://rb.gy/dk0h96

● The trial of Aziz Orujov, head of the online television channel “Kanal 13,” has concluded.
The journalist has been sentenced to two years in prison. More details: https://shorturl.at/QvNfO

● Today, a court session will be held in Baku regarding the former leaders of the former unrecognized NKR.

●  Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross have once again visited Armenians detained in Azerbaijan, who are accused of war crimes.

Individual meetings were conducted with the detainees, and arrangements were made for them to communicate with their families.

● Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs met with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

The meeting took place as part of Jeyhun Bayramov’s official visit to Saudi Arabia.

●  Azerbaijani government websites have been subjected to cyberattacks.

“In recent days, mass DDoS attacks have been recorded against state information resources in Azerbaijan,” reported the State Service for Special Communications and Information Security.

●Foreign nationals engaged in poaching have been detained in Azerbaijan.

Two UAE citizens were caught illegally hunting in the Bilasuvar district. Each violator was fined 2,000 manats (~$1,200).

● For the seventh day, Georgia’s focus remains on Guria, where a humanitarian crisis has unfolded due to heavy snowfall. Thousands of families remain isolated, often without electricity, gas, food, or access to critical medical care.

Volunteers from across the country are joining municipal workers to clear roads, while humanitarian aid collection points have been set up, and social media groups have been created that provide real-time updates on villages and families in urgent need of assistance.

On-site volunteers report that many residents are requesting evacuation. However, the Georgian Dream’s PM Irakli Kobakhidze downplayed the need, stating:

“Evacuation is not a priority… We must reach every village and provide aid on the ground.”

He accused political opponents of “spreading panic” and “exploiting the situation for political gain.”

● Severe conditions persist in Imereti, where around 150 villages remain trapped under snow, which has reached over two meters in the mountains.

● Georgia’s ranking in the Freedom House ‘Freedom in the World’ index has declined.
According to the 2024 report, Georgia lost three points compared to 2023, scoring 55 and ranking among the 14 countries where political rights and civil liberties have significantly deteriorated.

● Transparency International Georgia warns that amendments to the broadcasting law proposed by Georgian Dream violate international free speech standards and will further restrict independent media.

●  Georgian Dream proposes criminal penalties for violating the “foreign agents” law.
The amendment would impose fines or up to five years in prison for non-compliance with Georgia’s version of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The bill, described as a “word-for-word translation” of the U.S. law, was submitted to Parliament on February 24.

●  The Georgian authorities have signed a $2.5 million contract with the Israeli company Cellebrite to purchase equipment and software for extracting data from mobile phones, computers, and other digital devices.

According to BM.ge, the agreement was signed with Communal Technology LLC, Cellebrite’s official representative in Georgia.

The equipment is intended for the forensic department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

● Armenia is ready to further ease railway operations with Azerbaijan on a reciprocal basis, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told journalists.

●  The health of former State Minister of the unrecognized NKR Ruben Vardanyan has sharply deteriorated in a Baku prison, his family’s lawyer, Jared Genser, reports.

After a week-long hunger strike, Vardanyan has lost 6 kg, his blood pressure has reached dangerous levels, and his pulse is critically high. Despite his condition, he was forcibly taken to court, where all motions to postpone the hearing were denied.

Genser urged international organizations to demand immediate access to Vardanyan and called for an independent medical examination by an international doctor.

● Armenia and the EU discussed a roadmap for visa liberalization during a joint session of the interagency commission overseeing the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.

● The ARF Dashnaktsutyun party will push for the collective return of Karabakh Armenians to their homes, party representative Armen Rustamyan announced.

“There are solid legal grounds for the return, including rulings by the International Court of Justice. However, strong security guarantees must be secured at the international level,” he stated.

● Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke with European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas to discuss current and upcoming programs aimed at deepening Armenia-EU cooperation.

●  Politico: Suspending USAID operations could strengthen Russian influence in Armenia, Georgia, and Ukraine.

●  Today, Azerbaijan commemorates the victims of the Khojaly massacre, which took place on the night of February 26, 1992.

During the brutal attack on the town’s residents by Armenian armed formations, with the involvement of the former USSR’s 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment, 613 civilians were killed. 1,275 civilians were taken captive, with the fate of 150 still unknown. 475 Khojaly residents were left disabled, and 8 families were completely wiped out. 25 children lost both parents, and 130 lost one.

“Today, we solemnly honor the memory of the innocent victims of the Khojaly genocide. It is crucial that justice not only serves the memory of the victims but also ensures that such heinous crimes are never repeated. Azerbaijan is making every effort to hold those responsible for these crimes against our innocent compatriots accountable,” Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated yesterday.

●   A court session was held in Baku in the case of Ruben Vardanyan, former state minister of the former unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). Vardanyan’s motion to recuse the court panel in Baku was deemed unfounded and dismissed. The next hearing is scheduled for March 4.

●  Azerbaijani Presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.

● Azerbaijan has begun implementing seawater desalination technology, according to Aydın Abbasov, a representative of the United Urban Water Supply Service.

“The project aims to use desalinated water for both industrial and household needs. This initiative will help address water shortages and enhance the sustainability of water resources,” he stated.

●  The situation in western Georgia remains critical. Entire villages in Guria and Adjara have been buried under snow for several days, with snow levels exceeding two meters in some areas. Power lines are down, gas supply is disrupted, and dozens of homes have collapsed. Social media is flooded with calls for help—people report shortages of food, water, and medicine. There have been fatalities.

Municipal services are evacuating residents, but the process is painfully slow—roads are impassable, and there is a severe shortage of snow removal equipment. Hundreds of volunteers from Tbilisi and other regions are heading to the affected areas, bringing food, medicine, and helping clear the snow. A Facebook group, Volunteers for Guria, has been created to coordinate relief efforts. Funds are being raised, and special drones have been mobilized to deliver essential supplies to Guria and Adjara.

●  Today, the army will finally join the cleanup efforts, where over 600 rescuers are already working. The decision was made by Georgian Dream’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, who has been in Guria since yesterday.

●   The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) has criticized the government’s response to the crisis in western Georgia.

“The events in Guria and Adjara show that Georgian Dream continues to neglect its duty to protect the health, lives, and safety of its citizens. Residents are forced to cope with the heavy snowfall on their own, while local municipal efforts remain ineffective given the scale of the disaster. Despite national legislation and international legal obligations, the state has failed for years to implement adequate disaster prevention and management, leaving people vulnerable to threats it is obligated to prevent and/or respond to effectively,” the statement reads.

●  The EU ambassador to Georgia “encouraged violence” during protests in Tbilisi and “engaged in pre-election campaigning for the opposition”, “but his efforts failed”. This was stated by the head of the Georgian Dream government in response to EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński’s criticism of the Georgian authorities.

“I personally respect Mr. Herczyński, but he is acting on direct orders from the ‘deep state,’” Irakli Kobakhidze claimed.

Here’s what Ambassador Herczyński actually said:

“The European Union cannot tolerate violence, impunity, and intimidation, which have been ongoing [in Georgia] for almost three months. That is why we are working on imposing sanctions against individuals responsible for human rights violations. Within the EU, sanctions require unanimity. Unfortunately, such consensus does not exist. Some member states are not joining, but our leadership is trying.”

●  Georgian Dream has introduced another bill aimed at restricting broadcasters.

According to amendments to the Broadcasting Law, the Communications Commission will be able to issue warnings and fines to TV and radio stations if they fail to adhere to principles of “fairness” and “impartiality” in news coverage—without defining these terms.

The bill also states that “it is unacceptable to cover political or other controversies or pressing state policy issues based on the broadcaster’s personal stance or opinion.”

The ruling party claims this is based on the British media model, ensuring “high-quality and objective broadcasting in the media sector.”

●  Four employees of the Ministry of Defense have been dismissed. They believe it is because they previously signed a petition against Georgian Dream’s decision to suspend the European integration process.

The photo is from yesterday’s massive protest in Tbilisi, dedicated to Soviet Occupation Day and those who died for Georgia’s independence.

●  Yerevan has received Azerbaijan’s response regarding the peace treaty, but proposals on other issues—such as unblocking communications, a mutual arms control and verification mechanism—remain unanswered, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan.

●  Azerbaijan is obstructing Armenia’s constitutional reform, claims MP Arman Yeghoyan, head of the parliamentary commission on EU integration.

Yeghoyan explained that while Baku itself demands constitutional changes, it also fuels public opposition to these reforms in Armenia by constantly insisting on them.

●   The 4th meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee took place in Yerevan.

●   Foreign Minister: Armenia is considering joining the Arms Trade Treaty.

●  Deputy Foreign Minister: “The rhetoric coming from Baku contains dangerous messages.”

●  Romania’s Ambassador to Armenia, Cornel Ionescu, joined an EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) patrol in the village of Khachik, Vayots Dzor province, according to the EU mission’s post on X.

*Romania is the second-largest contributor of observers to EUMM.

●   Former State Minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), Ruben Vardanyan, fell ill during his trial in Baku, leading to a break in proceedings. His condition reportedly worsened due to an ongoing hunger strike. Azerbaijani media later reported that he refused to testify.

●   Armenia’s women’s national football team defeated Kazakhstan 2-0 in the second round of the UEFA Nations League.

● Twenty-two more families (95 people) have returned to the village of Ballydja in the Khojaly district of Karabakh. These families were displaced during the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s. Currently, the village is home to 552 people (110 families).

● Azerbaijan plans to invest at least $2 billion in various projects in Pakistan.
President Ilham Aliyev announced this during talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Baku. “We have already instructed our teams to work actively over the next month on preparing documents for signing regarding Azerbaijani investments in Pakistan,” he said.

● The press accreditation of “Voice of America” radio has been revoked, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada confirmed.

● “We are waiting for Armenia to overcome the main obstacle to normalization by legally renouncing territorial claims against Azerbaijan through constitutional amendments,” said Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov.

● A new hearing in the case of Ruben Vardanyan, former state minister of the now-defunct unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), will take place today in Baku.

Yesterday, due to unfavorable weather conditions, the court session for former leaders of the unrecognized NKR was postponed to February 27.

● For the first time, Azerbaijan has conducted organ transplants from a deceased donor.
The family of a patient diagnosed with brain death consented to organ donation.

●  Critical situation in western Georgia. Heavy snowfall has been ongoing for several days, leaving entire villages in Guria and Adjara isolated. There is an acute shortage of snow-clearing equipment, and many areas are facing power and gas outages. Social media reports indicate that people lack access to food, water, and medicine. Media outlets have reported a fatality in a Gurian village, where a person was crushed under a roof that collapsed under the weight of the snow.

●   Today marks one of the most tragic dates in Georgia’s history—104 years since the Red Army occupied Tbilisi, ending the country’s short-lived independence and making it part of the Soviet empire for 70 years.

Several protest marches are planned in Tbilisi to commemorate the date. “February 25 is a reminder of what could happen if history repeats itself. Today, Georgians are facing the same existential threat—we either win or lose our most precious asset: our state independence and freedom,” organizers stated in their announcement.

●   A direct translation of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) has been introduced in Georgia’s one-party parliament as a draft law. According to Georgian Dream representatives, this law is intended to replace last year’s “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law, which was adopted amid mass protests.

However, copying the U.S. legislation appears not to be feasible, as the document still includes references to “Congress,” the “State Department,” and even the “President of the United States.”

Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated that the unedited translation was deliberately presented to demonstrate that Georgia is following the U.S. example.

“Every word, every comma, and every period are identical to the U.S. law… This will put an end to any speculation that the Georgian Parliament is passing legislation that does not meet international standards,” he said.

●   The terms “gender” and “gender identity” will be removed from all existing Georgian laws, and the Gender Equality Act will be renamed the Law on Equality of Women and Men.

The legislative package was initiated in parliament by Georgian Dream deputies and the ruling party’s satellite group, Power of the People.

According to the draft law, terms such as “gender issues” will be replaced with “issues of equality between women and men,” “gender intolerance” will be changed to “intolerance toward equality between women and men,” and “gender-sensitive” will become “sex-based sensitivity,” among other changes.

The bill has already been submitted to parliamentary committees for review.

●   Amendments to the Broadcasting Law have been initiated by the same authors.

According to the bill, it will be prohibited:

• • For broadcasters to receive direct or indirect funding from a foreign power.
  • For a foreign power to purchase broadcaster services, fund programs, or co-finance content production.

●   “The adoption of repressive laws and excessive use of force against protesters signal a worsening situation in the region,” stated EU High Representative Kaja Kallas.

“All protesters must be released immediately. Georgia is clearly taking the wrong steps.”

A photo from yesterday’s march in Tbilisi in support of Ukraine.

●The Armenian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on derogatory remarks made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s wife regarding Armenian diplomats.

Earlier, Anna Hakobyan had called them “people with deep insecurities”—”uncertain, always confused, lacking a clear vision or concept.” A few days later, the social media post was deleted.

● The UN General Assembly adopted an anti-Russian resolution on Ukraine: 93 countries voted in favor, while the US and 17 others opposed it. Armenia was among the 65 countries that abstained.

● A historic world atlas map with over 200 years of history was gifted to Yerevan by Swiss-Armenian Avetik Poghosyan. The French-language map marks not only Yerevan and Armenia but also historical Armenian settlements in modern-day Turkey, such as Bayazet and Erzurum. Only seven copies of this map remain worldwide. The Yerevan History Museum has promised to include this rare artifact in its permanent exhibition.

● Ararat Mirzoyan condemned Azerbaijan’s trial of Armenian prisoners as illegal.

“Right now, fabricated trials are being conducted against 23 Armenian citizens who were unlawfully detained. The fundamental norms and guarantees of due process are being completely violated,” the Armenian Foreign Minister said during his speech in Geneva.

● Two well-known Russian-Armenians have been added to the EU sanctions list.
Comedian and TV personality Mikhail Galustyan, along with businessman Albert Avdolyan, were included in the 16th package of EU sanctions.

●  In Armenia, 429 people remain missing as a result of the 2020-2023 conflict with Azerbaijan. The data was published by the International Committee of the Red Cross based on requests from family members.

●  The biggest event of the past weekend in Azerbaijan was heavy snowfall, disrupting transportation nationwide. Intercity bus and train services were widely delayed or canceled, a national football championship match was postponed, and some universities switched to remote learning.

●  Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Azerbaijan for an official visit.

● Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili [whose legitimacy is disputed by the opposition and a significant part of Georgian society] called Georgia’s relationship with Azerbaijan “exemplary” in an interview with Azerbaijan’s Real TV.

He emphasized Georgia’s “strong interest in regional peace and stability”, praised Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as an “exemplary leader,” and expressed hope that his “first foreign visit as president will be to Baku.”

●  A second cyberattack in recent days has targeted major news websites of the pro-government Global Media group (Report, Oxu, Baku TV, Caliber). The attack was repelled, and the media group reported that all sites had resumed normal operations by this morning.

● Georgia is the only country co-sponsoring the U.S. resolution at the UN Security Council, which does not explicitly name Moscow as the aggressor. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports on this.

According to WSJ, the U.S. is calling for a “swift end to the conflict” and expressing sorrow over the “tragic loss of life in the Russia-Ukraine war.” The resolution does not specify who started the war or make direct demands on the Kremlin.

“It has just one co-sponsor—the Georgian government, whose ties with Moscow have recently warmed,” the article notes.

The resolution may be voted on today, marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

●  A solidarity march for Ukraine is planned for this evening in the centre of Tbilisi.

● Today, lawmakers from the ruling party are set to introduce several new bills in parliament, whose legitimacy is disputed by the opposition and a significant part of the Georgian public. The proposals include:

• Removing legal provisions that require NGOs to participate in decision-making on public interest issues.

• Replacing last year’s controversial “foreign influence transparency” law—dubbed the “Russian law” by critics—with a direct copy of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

• Establishing media objectivity and journalistic ethics standards “in line with the British model and legislation.”

● Commenting on the FARA-style bill, the speaker of Georgia’s one-party parliament Shalva Papuashvili said: “This will be a word-for-word translation of FARA. If anyone has issues with a word, comma, or period in the text, they can take it up with the U.S. and explain what they dislike about the American system.”

●  A brutal murder in Tbilisi has sparked controversy. A 23-year-old man was beaten to death with a cutting board by Giorgi Papashvili, a recently released convict. Reports suggest he was among the 600+ prisoners amnestied in January by President Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was appointed by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Kavelashvili’s administration denies this claim.

Meanwhile, the suspect has fled the country and is now on the wanted list.

● U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson has condemned the fines imposed on protesters in Georgia.

“The illegitimate Ivanishvili regime is imposing massive fines on the brave Georgian People for simply exercising their rights to free speech and assembly and calling for free and fair elections in line with the Georgian constitution. The Georgian People will not be intimidated!” he wrote on X.

The ruling Georgian Dream party has increasingly used fines as a tool of repression. Protesters are routinely charged with blocking roads, with fines reaching 5,000 GEL ($1,800)—almost 20 times the country’s subsistence minimum.

● The Barbare care home for people with disabilities in Ureki, Western Georgia, is urgently calling for help. Heavy snowfall has left the facility without power for three days, leaving residents without heating. Reports on social media suggest the roof has buckled under the weight of the snow, posing a real risk of collapse. The care home is urging local authorities to step in before it’s too late.

●  Deputy Minister of Economy Edgar Zakaryan discussed prospects for cooperation with Iran on establishing joint industrial zones in Armenia during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Dehghan Dehnavi, in Tehran.

●  A court has placed opposition figure Edgar Kazaryan under administrative control, banning him from publicly criticizing law enforcement and the judiciary.

Kazaryan was accused of making threats or publishing personal information about law enforcement officials.

● Armenian athlete Vaagn Davtyan won gold in the first stage of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, Germany.

●  The Apres Ski festival took place in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 17-21 February, 2025