Caucasus

Supporters of former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili gather outside court in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo from 2021. © Daro Sulakauri/Getty Images

Georgia: Fate of Ailing Saakashvili Remains Unclear

Tbilisi has refused to acknowledge medical needs as genuine or to release jailed former leader for treatment.

17 Jan 23

Hundreds of mourners gather for the funeral of a Georgian volunteer fighter who was killed in Ukraine, on March 26, 2022 in Tbilisi. Davit Ratiani, 53 years old, died under artillery fire on March 18th at the Irpin front, northwest of Kyiv. © Daro Sulakauri/Getty Images

The Georgians Killed Fighting in Ukraine

The conflict has deep resonance in Georgia - but Tbilisi’s attitude remains ambiguous.

9 Jan 23

Demonstrators face Russian peacekeepers in Ivanyan, a town about 10 kilometres from Stepanakert, where Karabakh’s airport is located. The airfield was renovated in the late 2000s and due to open for commercial flights in 2012 but remained closed due to security reasons, as Azerbaijan has threatened to shoot down flights. As the blockade continued, on January 5 Karabakh authorities called for support for operations of an air bridge “to prevent an urgent humanitarian crisis”. © Siranush Sargsyan/IWPR

Supplies Dwindle as Karabakh Siege Continues

Since December 12, the sole road to Armenia has been closed off, leaving as many as 120,000 people living under blockade.

9 Jan 23

Women demonstrate against the rising rate of gender-based violence in Georgia. According to law enforcement agencies, since 2014 186 women were killed by their former partners; in 2022 alone 16 women were murdered. Human rights groups blame authorities' ineffective preventive measures and inadequate prosecution actions. © Gvantsa Seturidze/IWPR

Fears Rise Over Gender Violence in Georgia

Legal experts warn that the judicial system is not doing enough to convict perpetrators.

22 Dec 22

Syria-born Hovik Asmarian reflects on how war has haunted his family for three generations. © Arshaluis Mghdesyan/IWPR

Karabakh Under Siege

As an Azerbaijani blockade continues, a Syrian Armenian in Stepanakert reflects on war and family.

22 Dec 22

Struggling to make ends meet in her native Armenia, Lilit (not her real name) was lured into a nanny job in Greece. Instead she found herself trapped in Istanbul, with no documents and forced into prostitution. According to the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), 68 Armenian citizens were identified as having been trafficked between 2017 and 2021. © Armine Avetisyan

Armenia: Trafficked and Exploited

The pandemic and Nagorny Karabakh conflict of 2020 have led to a steep rise in the number of Armenian victims.

12 Dec 22

Schools Struggle in Armenia’s Border Villages

Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan has affected thousands of children’s right to learn.

1 Dec 22

Russians Seek Armenia Citizenship

The Ukraine conflict has spurred many to acquire alternative passports.

1 Dec 22

Georgians in Abkhazia’s Gali district account for 98 per cent of the population. Yet, students struggle to study in their native language as authorities have imposed Russian as the language of instructions in all grades. © Monica Ellena/IWPR

Abkhazia: Erasing the Georgian language

Russian is now mandatory in all schools in Gali district.

24 Nov 22

The Manasyan brothers - Vigen, 46, and Arthur, 38 - get ready for the harvest. Most of their arable lands fell under Azerbaijani control in 2020, but they retain a small wheatfield near their house and tend vineyards for an owner who too scared to go there due to the proximity of Azerbaijan’s military posts. © Siranush Sargsyan/IWPR

A Fearful Harvest in Karabakh’s Vineyards

Villagers in the Amaras valley vineyards pick grapes a few yards away from Azerbaijan’s military posts.

23 Nov 22

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