Andreas Oetker-Kast

Between frustration and persistence, the Georgian protest movement reflects on 4 October After the unfulfilled ‘peaceful revolution’ of 4 October, Georgia’s anti-government movement continues amidst debate, repression, and uncertainty.

🇬🇪 … between frustration and persistence …

oc-media.org/between-frus...

⭕️ Georgia’s imprisoned journalist Mzia Amaglobeli jointly shortlisted for the 2025 Sakharov Prize together with Belarus’s Andrzej Poczobut. (1/2)

#FreeMzia #GeorgiaProtests #RepressionInGeorgia #TerrorInGeorgia #JournalismIsNotACrime #Sakharov

Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE head Elina Valtonen has been fined $1,800 by Georgian authorities for 'blocking the road' after visiting protesters in Tbilisi.

➡️ Background: oc-media.org/kobakhidze-s...

Georgian Dream to seek political bans for ‘several hundred’ individuals The ruling party is expanding its previously announced intentions to ban opposition parties.

Democracy at work … or, what was the word?

#GeorgiaProtests

oc-media.org/georgian-dre...

1/ Irakli Kobakhidze Threatens Participants of the Daily Protest Outside Parliament Speaking on the pro-government channel Rustavi 2, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said there would be “zero compassion.”

Despite the authorities promise to regard any further protests as a ‘continuation of yesterday’s attempt’, insinuating further arrests, protesters in Tbilisi have blocked the road near the Georgian Parliament, the traditional site of the ongoing daily anti-government protests.

Day 312 … and counting.

Summary of the events of October 4, for those interested.

open.substack.com/pub/statesof...

Good read about what happened in 🇬🇪 in the last 24h …

"They have, they reassure themselves, democratic traditions that go way back and institutions in place to guard against encroachments on their freedoms. “We will,” they might say, “never be a Georgia.” They would be wrong."

"In my circle of friends and colleagues, we joke about the books we will read in prison or about the Ubers we might soon be driving in Berlin or New York.
Maybe people in those cities, even now, look at Georgia and say “that could never happen to us.”

A Message from a Budding Autocracy - Coda Story A closer look at Georgia's spiral into autocracy under Bidzina Ivanishvili serves as a warning for countries who think they are safe.

Giorgi Lomsadze, @codastory.bsky.social Perspective:

www.codastory.com/rewriting-hi...

🗳️ The lowest voter turnout in Georgia’s municipal election history. The regime wanted a referendum on its legitimacy?
The people have spoken - with silence.

What to make of the day? Overall a show of strength -- but not one of direction.

That strength after months of repression remains impressive, but it won't be enough to get the country back on track, without a clearer, concerted strategy.

Some photos from tonight's protest.
Check more here: www.instagram.com/p/DPZ82HqjAR...

Wer die wiederaufgeflammten Proteste in Georgien verfolgen möchte, hier ist ein Feed. #GeorgiaProtests bsky.app/profile/did:...

⭕️While Georgian Dream is holding local elections boycotted by several opposition parties, groups of citizens from the regions are heading to #Tbilisi to join tonight’s protest.

Videos from the highway are being shared on social media.
#GeorgiaProtests
#GEOLocalElections2025

Its 4pm, Rustaveli is already blocked. There is student demo to start moving from TSU soon.

Follow Publika English on Instagram 👉 www.instagram.com/publikaengli...

Some background info on Oct 4th …

Letters from the prisoners ... in a story by @mariamnikuradze.bsky.social

Swiss journalist denied entry to Georgia ahead of local elections Separately, a journalist from Germany was forced to pay a hefty fine for ‘blocking a road’ during a protest before being let into Georgia.

Swiss photojournalist Gregor Sommer has been denied entry to Georgia after refusing to pay a ₾10,000 ($3,700) fine for allegedly ‘blocking the road’ during protests.

oc-media.org/swiss-journa...

Animal Eden, ein Paradies für Tiere Bericht und Fotos vom Tierschutzhof Animal Eden in Frankreich, wo behinderte Tiere ein Zuhause finden.

straydok.de/ein-paradies...

Mal was anderes: schöne Geschichte über einen besonderen Ort in 🇫🇷, von @angelikaok.bsky.social
(Link im Kommentar)

📷 Angelika Oetker-Kast / strayDok

Good to see you here 👍🏻

ECHR accepts case of 19 Georgian journalists assaulted by police The 19 journalists were injured by police officers during the 2023 foreign agent law protests.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted the case of 19 Georgian journalists who accuse the Georgian police of assaulting them while covering the 2023 foreign agent law protests.

🇬🇪 Webtalk um 18 Uhr heute, Naumann Stiftung: "Kampf um die Freiheit: Georgien und der Lange Arm des Kreml"
Buchvorstellung mit @dornblueth.bsky.social und @thomasfranke.bsky.social

shop.freiheit.org#!/Veranstalt...

It’s a good morning for Moldova. The ruling party PAS of Maia Sandu got 50.1% of the vote, while the communist/socialist bloc received 24.5%.

PAS maintains a majority of 55 seats in the 101 seat parliament..

From my prison cell in Georgia, I implore Europe not to abandon us to Russia | Mzia Amaglobeli My fellow journalists are putting their lives in danger every day, but we refuse to surrender to a regime that threatens Europe’s own security, says imprisoned Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli

Mzia Amaglobeli in @theguardian.com: „Our struggle is part of Europe’s struggle, as Ukraine’s struggle is part of Europe’s struggle. And I ask you, our European friends: do not let go of our hand.“

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

#GeorgiaProtests

🇬🇪 #GeorgiaProtests starter pack ⬇️