Introduction of a bill obliging certain NGOs &media to register as “orgs serving the interests of a foreign power” threatens fundamental rights in #Georgia 🇬🇪. Gov’t defends the bill as providing transparency, but no one is fooled. Read full Human Rights Watch statement hrw.org/news/2024/05/0…

MAJOR - #Armenia to remove #Russia border guards from almost all border positions with #Azerbaijan according to Armenia's ruling party representative. Comes after Putin receives Pashinyan. Not exactly official confirmation, but es credible.

Source: news.am/arm/news/82230…

The speed at which things are getting worse in Georgia is alarming. A wave of brazen attacks on opposition politicians and government critics by plainclothes thugs tonight.

A wave of physical attacks by titushky on Georgian political and civil society figures tonight, after Georgian Dream ramped up its repressive language.
civil.ge/archives/604676

Armenia said on Wednesday that it has stopped making financial contributions to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after freezing its membership in the Russian-led military alliance. azatutyun.am/a/32938457.html

It's a crime of threatening human rights defenders in GE.

Today again unknown numbers are calling on HRDs mobiles. I haven’t answered 8 missed calls. Because of my human rights work, they called my younger sister to pass on a message:

“They will not make us happy”

#COP29 host #Azerbaijan is also globally known for its caviar diplomacy, its responsibility in a major humanitarian crisis & for locking up dozens of critics.

But @Politico reminds #EU remains largely muted - remember @VonDerLeyen's gas deal?

politico.eu/article/good-c…

I found this point to be quite salient:

The draft foreign agents law 'specifically identifies countries that have historically been #Georgia ’s Western allies & friends as adversaries, while notably not mentioning #Russia — the country PHYSICALLY OCCUPYING a quarter of 🇬🇪,…

🇷🇺 Russia’s Democracy Score further deteriorated as Putin’s authoritarian regime doubled down on its repression in 2023.

Both local and regional elections during the coverage period were characterized by fraud, violence, and intimidation.

Learn more: freedomhouse.org/country/russia…

Having just brutally crushed the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani government has the audacity to suggest that its hosting of the COP29 climate summit could be a spur for world peace. theguardian.com/environment/ar…

Most favorite photo from Armenia. Taken in 2017 by the Polish photographer Maciej Dakowicz.

Russian teens in city of Obninsk telling a Tajik girl to 'get the f@ck out to Tajikistan' and using other insults and slurs.
Russia is fighting Fascism in a wrong country.

During our visit to Washington D.C. we visited Freedom House and had a conversation about democratic reforms in #Armenia and the ways we can work together to tackle the challenges towards human rights and freedom of speech.

On #WorldPressFreedomDay , we resoundingly condemn antidemocratic attacks against free and independent media and call for the immediate release of all media workers unjustly behind bars.

RSF reports that over 500 journalists were arbitrarily imprisoned at the end of…

Law Enforcement Agencies Discuss Reports Of Violence Against Journalist In Armenia
media.am/en/newsroom/20…

Honored to share my perspective on #WorldPressFreedomDay . Press freedom and free speech are cornerstones of a democratic country, and the whole society should work towards strengthening these freedoms and protecting practitioners.
Watch my video for more insights. 🗞️🌐

Freedoms in Georgia and Azerbaijan continue to deteriorate, but Armenia has improved its standing in the latest World Press Freedom Index by RSF, rising six places. Armenia ranks second only to Moldova among Eastern Partnership countries.
Happy World Press Freedom Day!

Georgia has fallen 26 places on the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, Azerbaijan fell 13 places, while Armenia gained six places on the index.
oc-media.org/georgia-falls-…