The Caucasus Digest

Azerbaijan, a country whose economy depends heavily on fossil fuels, is set to host the United Nations' annual climate change conference, COP29, in November this year, amidst rampant human rights abuses and terrible environmental practices. This week, we speak to journalist Arzu Geybulla talks about human rights abuses in Azerbaijan and her expectations for COP29, while environmental activist Javi...

OC Media's Robin Fabbro, Mariam Nikuradze, and Shota Kincha sit down to discuss whether Georgia's democracy could survive with the passing of the draconic foreign agent law, and October's critical parliamentary elections. Read more: Georgia's parliament passes controversial electoral code amendments Support independent journalism in the Caucasus and become an OC Media Member:  Join today . …or don...

Tavush for the Motherland, a movement fronted by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, has made headlines protesting in Armenia's north and in the capital Yerevan against the delimitation process with Azerbaijan. This week, we speak to OC Media's Armenian staff writer Arshaluys Barseghyan about how the protest movement shifted from protesting border delimitation to calling for the government's resignation...

The foreign agent law has passed its third and final reading in the Georgian parliament despite mass protests against the law throughout the country. This week, OC Media's Robin Fabbro, Mariam Nikuradze, and Shota Kincha talk about President Salome Zourabichvili's expected veto of the law, the possibility of Western sanctions against members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and the future of th...

Georgians have once again come out to protest the foreign agents bill after the ruling Georgian Dream party reintroduced the draft law a year after aborting it. This week, we spoke with OC Media's Mariam Nikuradze and Shota Kincha about the daily mass protests against the bill, the government's reactions, and how the coming weeks might unfold. Read more: Georgian foreign agent bill passes first re...

Chechnya's Culture Ministry said earlier this month that the Russian republic would issue restrictions on music slower than 80 bpm and faster than 116 bpm. At the time, the ministry stated that the Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov had instructed them to introduce the restrictions, however, last week, Kadyrov said that the restrictions were meant to be 'recommendations' for performers and composers of f...

The ruling Georgian Dream party has reintroduced its controversial foreign agents law, a bill that the party was forced to abort after two nights of mass protests in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The ruling party's reintroduction of the bill was met with wide condemnation both domestically and internationally due to its similarity to legislation that was used to crush civil society and media in Ru...

Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg toured the South Caucasus to visit the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. This week, we speak to political analyst and head of the Regional Center for Democracy Tigran Grigoryan about the significance of a new partnership agreement between Armenia and NATO, to independent researcher Shujaat Ahmadzada about the importance of Azerbaijani g...

In early March, Azerbaijani police raided the offices of Toplum TV and arrested several of their journalists on charges of smuggling. The targeting of the independent outlet was the latest in Azerbaijan's ongoing crackdown on media in the country. This week, we speak to Toplum TV journalist Alya Aghayeva about Azerbaijan's crackdown on their outlet, and to Leyla Mustafayeva, who became the interim...

In recent weeks, senior Armenian officials have expressed an intent and interest in the country growing closer to Europe, and perhaps even joining the European Union, particularly in light of recent security concerns and a move away from Moscow. In this week's episode, we speak to MEP Viola von Cramon about Armenia's EU prospects, and to Babken DerGrigorian, a former official in the post-revolutio...

Georgia's minimum wage has been stuck at $8 a month since 1999, but in recent years, unions and civil society organisations have called on the government to raise the country's minimum wage to match standards of decent living in Georgia. This week in the Caucasus Digest, we speak to Jeff Vize from Human Rights Watch about the background of the current minimum wage, and Raisa Liparteliani from the...

Last week, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned that Azerbaijan might be preparing to launch a full-scale war. His warning came amidst peace negotiations between the two countries that have been ongoing since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020. This week, we speak to Crisis Group's Olesya Vartanyan, to independent researcher Shujaat Ahmadzada, and to writer and Carnegie...

Last week, a bill on domestic violence passed its first hearing in Armenia's parliament. The changes would classify virginity tests, a controversial practice meant to determine whether a person's hymen is intact, as a form of domestic violence. This week, we speak to Ani Jilosian of the Women's Support Centre about what these amendments could mean and to Tereza Panchoyan, or Girlunmuted an Instagr...

President Ilham Aliyev has prolonged his decades-long rule of Azerbaijan, securing a fifth term after winning the presidential elections this week — elections that were marred by the absence of any real opposition and blatant electoral fraud. On this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, we speak to  Meydan TV  editor Orkhan Mammad about the role of media in covering the elections, to political a...

The eviction of the Khatiashvili family from their home in Tbilisi last week has led to outrage in Georgia and accusations that the government is taking an 'inhumane' approach towards debt and housing.  This week, we hear from Marina Khatiashvili, who was evicted alongside her family, and we speak to  OC Media journalist and co-director Mariam Nikuradze about the protests surrounding the eviction,...

After over a decade of controversy over environmental, labour, and economic concerns, the Armenian government has finally greenlit the operation of the Amulsar gold mine in Jermuk. Since the project's announcement, local communities in and around Jermuk have expressed concern about the mine's potential impact on their lives and livelihoods, while environmental activists have warned about the catas...

Georgia may finally have secured EU candidate status, but some in Georgia still question just how committed the ruling Georgian Dream party is to taking the country's EU integration to the next stage. This week, we spoke to OC Media journalist and co-director Mariam Nikuradze about Georgian Dream's apparent change of heart towards the EU and to the Social Justice Centre's director of the democracy...

Georgia's defence code is stamping out loopholes that young Georgians use to get out of military service, as rights activists in the country warn that new amendments to the code could lead to discrimination against religious minorities. This week, we spoke to a Georgian student about why he chose to evade conscription, to Ioseb Edisherashvili from the Georgian Young Lawyers Association about the c...

Last week, Azerbaijani authorities raided the offices of  AbzasMedia , an independent news outlet covering corruption in the country. They arrested four of its employees, including its director, Ulvi Hasanli, and editor-in-chief, Sevinj Vagifgizi, on charges of smuggling foreign currency into the country. They denied the charges and accused the government of falsifying evidence against them by pla...

The recent suicide of a queer Armenian teenager shook many in Armenia, with activists accusing the authorities of lacking the sensitivity or willingness to help queer victims of abuse or bullying. In the absence of any legislation to protect them, queer people in Armenia are frequently subjected to discrimination and violence in Armenia, including in their own homes. This week on the Caucasus Dige...

Georgia generates a staggering 85% of its electricity through hydropower plants; however, while further exploitation of Georgia's hydropower potential sounds promising on paper, local activists and researchers say that a lack of feasibility and safety research before the construction of hydropower plants could pose significant risks. This week on the Caucasus Digest, Hannah O'Sullivan, an energy r...

The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War has had a lasting impact on the South Caucasus, leading to a massive geopolitical shift. Azerbaijan emerged victorious, taking control of large swathes of territory in 2020, and eventually what remained of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023. Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population was forced to flee the region into Armenia, which since the war, has been forced to rea...

The EU Commission is expected to deliver its recommendation on whether or not the European Union should now grant Georgia candidate status on 8 November. The decision to grant Georgia candidate status hinges on 12 priorities set out by the EU for the country to fulfil before its status could be reconsidered. While the Georgian Dream-led government insists that it has made real progress on those 12...

The Kadyrov regime, installed by Moscow in Grozny after the fall of Ichkeria, a short-lived independent Chechen state that existed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has led to a severe deterioration of human rights in Chechnya, as reports of police brutality, disappearances, torture, and the persecution of people formerly associated with Ichkeria became all too common. Tens of thousands have...

In early October, Aitaj Shakhmarova, 14, was murdered by a man who kidnapped her and forced her into marriage as she was trying to flee his home. The crime shook Georgia, where child marriage rates are relatively high. This week, we spoke to Samira Bayramova, a human rights activist from Kvemo Kartli, about the murder and prevalence of early marriage in Georgia and the importance of raising awaren...