Alleged recording of head of Georgian ultra-right party and Russian MP surfaces
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An audio recording has gone viral in which the leader of Georgian ultra-right party Georgian March-National Movement Sandro Bregadze allegedly speaks with the member of Russian Federation Council (an upper house of the Russian parliament) and a former employee of the Russian intelligence service, Igor Morozov.
In the recording Morozov and Bregadze allegedly speak about the import of liquid gas from Russia to Georgia, as many households in Georgia still lack natural gas and the ‘business is likely to work.’
In the recording Morozov promises Bregadze to connect him with a Russian businessman with 20 years of experience in the gas field.
Bregadze confirms that Morozov is his ‘old friend’, but says that part of the recording is from an old conversation. However, he did not tell on.ge which section he meant.
He also said in a Facebook video yesterday that his phone conversations are recorded and that he has already received threats to have videos of his private life broadcast if he did not give up politics.
The Georgian March civil movement, known for its anti-LGBT rallies, has created a political party called Georgian March - National Movement earlier today.
The Human Rights Watch has released its World Report 2020, reflecting the developments in the world in 2019, including in Georgia. The report reads that political tensions and sustained protests over electoral reforms marked 2019 in Georgia, drawing particular attention to labour rights, current drug policy, the rights of sexual minorities and the ‘lack of accountability for law enforcement abuses’.
Tbilisi Pride, which was scheduled to take place earlier today, has been cancelled “due to increased threats”, as clerics, nationalist groups and their supporters have gathered at different locations in Tbilisi to prevent the march from taking place.
A leader of an anti-LGBT rally held in front of the Georgian parliament, Guram Palavandishvili, has been detained for insulting a police officer, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reports.
Facebook deleted two dozen pages, 12 groups and more than 30 accounts from Georgia across its two platforms in March after "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" from their content was found to have links to the Georgian March ultranationalist party.
Russian businessman of Georgian origin Aleksandre Ebralidze was reportedly arrested yesterday for embezzlement in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported that Ebralidze’s arrest is connected to the loss of about three billion rubles in 2016 from Russia’s Constance Bank, formerly owned by Ebralidze.