The News in Brief
Wednesday, January 13
Deputy Tbilisi Mayor resigns
Tbilisi City Hall has confirmed that the Deputy Mayor, Giorgi Solomonia, has resigned.
Solomonia will continue to work in the Investigative Department of the Finance Ministry.
"Deputy Mayor Giorgi Solomonia has resigned. He served as the deputy mayor since August 2014. He submitted a personal letter regarding his resignation. He will continue to work in the Investigative Department of the Finance Ministry,” read City Hall’s statement. (IPN)
S.Ossetia Chief Prosecutor Dies After Being Hit by Car in Tskhinvali
The Chief Prosecutor of the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, Merab Chigoev, died after he was struck by a car while crossing a street in Tskhinvali on January 9, according to the breakaway region’s Interior Ministry.
Initially, Russian and local media sources reported citing a witness that the driver ran from the scene, but later the same media sources reported that the breakaway region’s Interior Ministry said that the driver did not try to flee and was arrested on the scene; he was identified as Soslan Tedeev, a 33-year-old resident of Tskhinvali.
The incident does not appear to be being treated by the law enforcement agencies of the breakaway region as an intentional act.
South Ossetian leader Leonid Tibilov, who has called for stricter road safety measures, was quoted by the Tskhinvali-based news agency RES as saying at a meeting with Interior Ministry leadership on January 10: “I take the investigation of this crime under my personal control. But what else can be said? The case is actually already solved. The culprit should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Merab Chigoev held the post of the breakaway region’s chief prosecutor since April, 2012; he also served as the Minister of Justice from 2004-2008. (Civil.ge)
Iraqi students protested against revoked residency permits
A group of Iraqi students protested in Kutaisi on Monday after having their residency permits revoked.
The protest at Akaki Tsereteli State University involved up to ten Iraqi students, who asked the university to help them after the Ministry of Justice revoked their residency permits.
They received notices from the Justice Ministry on December 25. Mustapa Karakuli told journalists that they were not told the reason behind the decision.
“They only told us that it is dangerous that we are in Georgia. We never had any problems - not even a fine – or anything which could become a reason to revoke our permits,” he said.
“We are not dangerous. We are launching a protest from now and will continue with it. We won’t attend lectures until the university helps us.”
The students also said that the administration assisted four Iraqi students who had their residency permits prolonged.
The Deputy Rector at ATSU, Shalva Kirtadze, said that the university was doing everything to help the students.
“We gave the relevant bodies an assessment of the students, along with the documents describing their education,” he said.
The procedures were the same for the protesting students as for the four who had their permits prolonged, Kirtadze added.
“We are on a third course right now and if we hadn’t been dangerous before, what changed? This is absurd,” another student told Kutaisi Post. (DF watch)
De- facto government of Abkhazia to join Russian sanctions against Turkey
The de facto government of Abkhazia will join the Russian sanctions against Turkey. The information was released by the Abkhazian government's website.
According to the statement, possible economic measures are being devised and will be implemented before January 20. In particular, the so-called government plans to ban the import of certain goods from Turkey, imposing control on Turkish organizations and prohibiting their activities.
According to the de facto authorities, the abovementioned is provided by the strategic partnership agreement signed with Russia in 2014. (IPN)
Tbilisi City Hall has confirmed that the Deputy Mayor, Giorgi Solomonia, has resigned.
Solomonia will continue to work in the Investigative Department of the Finance Ministry.
"Deputy Mayor Giorgi Solomonia has resigned. He served as the deputy mayor since August 2014. He submitted a personal letter regarding his resignation. He will continue to work in the Investigative Department of the Finance Ministry,” read City Hall’s statement. (IPN)
S.Ossetia Chief Prosecutor Dies After Being Hit by Car in Tskhinvali
The Chief Prosecutor of the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, Merab Chigoev, died after he was struck by a car while crossing a street in Tskhinvali on January 9, according to the breakaway region’s Interior Ministry.
Initially, Russian and local media sources reported citing a witness that the driver ran from the scene, but later the same media sources reported that the breakaway region’s Interior Ministry said that the driver did not try to flee and was arrested on the scene; he was identified as Soslan Tedeev, a 33-year-old resident of Tskhinvali.
The incident does not appear to be being treated by the law enforcement agencies of the breakaway region as an intentional act.
South Ossetian leader Leonid Tibilov, who has called for stricter road safety measures, was quoted by the Tskhinvali-based news agency RES as saying at a meeting with Interior Ministry leadership on January 10: “I take the investigation of this crime under my personal control. But what else can be said? The case is actually already solved. The culprit should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Merab Chigoev held the post of the breakaway region’s chief prosecutor since April, 2012; he also served as the Minister of Justice from 2004-2008. (Civil.ge)
Iraqi students protested against revoked residency permits
A group of Iraqi students protested in Kutaisi on Monday after having their residency permits revoked.
The protest at Akaki Tsereteli State University involved up to ten Iraqi students, who asked the university to help them after the Ministry of Justice revoked their residency permits.
They received notices from the Justice Ministry on December 25. Mustapa Karakuli told journalists that they were not told the reason behind the decision.
“They only told us that it is dangerous that we are in Georgia. We never had any problems - not even a fine – or anything which could become a reason to revoke our permits,” he said.
“We are not dangerous. We are launching a protest from now and will continue with it. We won’t attend lectures until the university helps us.”
The students also said that the administration assisted four Iraqi students who had their residency permits prolonged.
The Deputy Rector at ATSU, Shalva Kirtadze, said that the university was doing everything to help the students.
“We gave the relevant bodies an assessment of the students, along with the documents describing their education,” he said.
The procedures were the same for the protesting students as for the four who had their permits prolonged, Kirtadze added.
“We are on a third course right now and if we hadn’t been dangerous before, what changed? This is absurd,” another student told Kutaisi Post. (DF watch)
De- facto government of Abkhazia to join Russian sanctions against Turkey
The de facto government of Abkhazia will join the Russian sanctions against Turkey. The information was released by the Abkhazian government's website.
According to the statement, possible economic measures are being devised and will be implemented before January 20. In particular, the so-called government plans to ban the import of certain goods from Turkey, imposing control on Turkish organizations and prohibiting their activities.
According to the de facto authorities, the abovementioned is provided by the strategic partnership agreement signed with Russia in 2014. (IPN)