OC Media

Azerbaijan begins locking up critics under social media ‘immorality’ ban Lawyers warn the legislation’s vague wording is purposeful in order to further restrict freedom of speech in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has begun imprisoning social activists and government critics under recently amended legislation that made ‘immoral activity’ and ‘disrespectful actions’ on social media an administrative offence.

Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov’s eldest son Akhmat will oversee the republic’s education sector. Despite his new position, there is no information in open sources, including on official websites, about him ever having received a higher education degree.

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The National Bank of Georgia has kept its refinancing rate unchanged at 8%, the bank said in a statement on Wednesday.

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‘Sabotage’ case against Georgian opposition politicians moves forward Some of the politicians involved in the case are already serving sentences in other cases.

Tbilisi City Court Judge Valerian Bugianishvili has sent the so-called sabotage case against eight Georgian opposition politicians forward for substantive consideration. Some of them have already been convicted and are serving sentences in other cases.

President Ilham Aliyev has met with US Vice President J.D. Vance for a limited-format discussion.

In his speech on Monday, Vance said there would be ‘$5 billion in US exports, plus an additional $4 billion in support through fuel and maintenance contracts’ — however, the live translation into Armenian changed ‘exports’ to ‘investment’.

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Authorities say minors involved in high-profile Tbilisi murder committed previous assaults The Prosecutor General’s Office said the detainees had previously attacked individuals they had preselected.

Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has brought additional charges against the minors implicated in the high-profile case of Giga Avaliani, a tutor killed in Tbilisi in October 2025.

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North Caucasus republics rank among lowest per-capita savings in Russia In addition, the region has the lowest wages in the country.

The republics of the North Caucasus are among the Russian regions with the lowest levels of savings in the bank per capita, according to a study by the state agency RIA Rating published on Monday.

Azerbaijan to allow nationalisation of ‘strategic investments’ on national security grounds Discussion of the bill began immediately after a visit by representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce.

The Azerbaijani Parliament has begun discussing a bill that would allow the government to nationalise ‘strategic investments’, if they are deemed to run contrary to national interests.

Jailed Georgian opposition leader Melia faces new charge The co-leader of the opposition Ahali party Nika Melia is also facing sabotage charges.

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has brought a new charge of contempt of court against jailed co-leader of the opposition Ahali party, Nika Melia. This is the fourth time Melia has been charged in less than a year.

Vance tweets about ‘Armenian Genocide’ before deleting post Following Donald Trump’s election in 2025, the US appeared to reverse its recognition of the Armenian Genocide under President Joe Biden.

US President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial on Tuesday, sharing a post that explicitly described the 1915 massacres as a ‘genocide’, before deleting the post shortly after.

A group of Azerbaijani pro-government civil society members have appealed to US Vice President JD Vance to support the ‘right of return’ for Azerbaijanis expelled from the Republic of Armenia in early 1990s.

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Kadyrov comments on son’s reported car crash for the first time Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov called the information about the accident a ‘leak’, and said there was a need to strengthen the fight against ‘fake news’.

Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has publicly commented for the first time on reports of a road traffic incident in which, according to several independent media outlets, his son Adam Kadyrov was involved.

During his visit in Armenia, US Vice President JD Vance talked about Christianity, referencing his own faith and mentioning the Christian history of Armenia.

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JD Vance visits Armenia in a historic first US Vice President JD Vance’s visit marks the highest-level visit by an American leader to Armenia.

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Yerevan on Monday, marking the highest-level visit by an American leader since Armenia gained independence. Vance met with PM Nikol Pashinyan.

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Georgian government drops university merger after public backlash The decision to merge two notable universities was followed by discontent among students and professors, as well as the general public.

After a broad public backlash, the Georgian government has reversed its decision to merge two of the country’s most prominent universities — Tbilisi State University and Georgian Technical University — as part of a controversial education reform.

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Ahead of the visit, US President Donald Trump announced that the purpose of Vance’s visit is to ‘build on our Peace efforts, and advance the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity [sic]’.

Georgia investigates circumstances of return and death of woman who fled Chechnya Aliya Ozdamirova was buried two days after her forced return to Chechnya in November 2025.

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has opened an official investigation into the circumstances surrounding the removal of Chechen-born Aliya Ozdamirova from Georgian territory to Russia and her subsequent death.

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Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili shared excerpts of the short unofficial meetings he had with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Milan.

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Russia offers Armenia ‘comprehensive cooperation’ in nuclear energy ahead of Vance visit US Vice President JD Vance is expected to discuss cooperation in nuclear energy with Yerevan during his visit to Armenia.

Russia has ‘discussed in detail the construction’ of new nuclear power units in Armenia and offered Yerevan ‘comprehensive cooperation’ on their construction. The offer came ahead of an upcoming visit by US Vice President JD Vance to Armenia.

Russia tries two Daghestanis in absentia for supporting Ukraine’s Azov Battalion The two men are being tried for supporting terrorism.

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has agreed to hear a criminal case against two natives of Daghestan accused of collecting funds to purchase drones with thermal imaging equipment for Ukraine’s Azov Battalion.

Review | Some Interviews on Personal Matters — a Georgian woman, uninterrupted Some Interviews on Personal Matters is a pioneering work of feminist filmmaking and an intricate, intimate portrait of womanhood.

📽️ OC Reviews: Some Interviews on Personal Matters is a pioneering work of feminist filmmaking and an intricate, intimate portrait of womanhood.

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‘A quiet, creeping Russification’: the displacement of indigenous languages across Russia According to the 2020 census, almost all national languages lost speakers despite the demographic growth of the corresponding ethnic groups.

A quiet, creeping Russification’: the displacement of indigenous languages across Russia

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The prominent Georgian pro-government media outlet Imedi will be sold to Prime Media Global for the apparently symbolic price of ₾1,000 ($370), the outlet’s owner, businessperson Irakli Rukhadze, has announced.

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Analysis | Why did Georgia really phase out its public employment programme? Social allowance remains Georgia’s only major social welfare pillar, with as much as 18% of the population enrolled in subsistence allowances.

Why did Georgia really phase out its public employment programme?

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In response to a media inquiry, the Armenian Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS) has denied having any ties with Azerbaijani researcher, peace activist, and OC Media contributor Bahruz Samadov.

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Georgian Dream satellite calls for EU integration debate The group has actively promoted the abandonment of Georgia’s EU and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

United Neutral Georgia, a satellite of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has called on government-affiliated TV channels to organise ‘debates’ on Georgia’s EU integration, claiming the country ‘will not know peace’ without abandoning the idea.

Human rights groups call on Azerbaijan to investigate sexual harassment of jailed journalists Detained journalists Aysel Umudova and Ulviyya Guliyeva (Ali) had both written letters from prison about the sexual harassment they have faced.

Nine international human rights organisations called on the Azerbaijani government to investigate the alleged sexual harassment and ill-treatment of journalists Aysel Umudova and Ulviyya Guliyeva (Ali) in custody. Both journalists are currently jailed.

Twenty Chechen prisoners have been returned to Russia from Ukraine as part of an exchange under the ‘157 for 157’, or ‘all-for-all’ formula. Most of them, according to the Ukrainian project ‘I Want to Live’, served in the Akhmat unit.

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Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Simonyan sues former president Kocharyan Alen Simonyan has demanded that Robert Kocharyan publicly apologise for an ‘offensive statement’ he made towards him.

Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan has filed a lawsuit against former President Robert Kocharyan for an ‘offensive statement’ made during a press briefing in January 2026. Simonyan is seeking over ֏2 million ($5,500) in compensation.