OC Media

News, commentary, and multimedia from the North and South Caucasus. Become a member:

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

The body of Lasha Broladze, a 31-year-old Georgian fighter killed in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was repatriated to Tbilisi on Friday.

⭕ Family members, friends, and others gathered at Tbilisi International Airport to pay their respects.

Photos: Mariam Nikuradze

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Israeli President Isaac Herzog bypassed a Turkish ban on using its airspace to travel to Baku on Wednesday by flying on a commercial Azerbaijan Airlines jet, sparking outrage in Ankara. Turkish officials later said they were not aware Herzog was on the commercial jet.

🔗 read more: https://t.co/AxIKhrtIty

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Animal rights activists take puppies from Georgian shelter after viral video sparks outrage. A viral video of puppies in a small shelter caused public outrage, resulting in protests.

https://t.co/QTmzvQC44D

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Animal rights activists take puppies from Georgian shelter after viral video sparks outrage. A viral video of puppies in a small shelter caused public outrage, resulting in protests.

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Professional boxer Giorgi Kirvalidze, a defendant in the 4 October case, was detained again after completing a seven-day administrative arrest and leaving the Gurjaani detention facility.

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Podcast | Culture Takeover: Kordz on music and Georgian politics

This week, editor Yousef Bardouka and culture and features editor Xandie (Alexandra) Kuenning took over the Caucasus Digest to speak with Kordz, a Georgian musician and producer, about his work, the making of his last album with his mother, Tamriko Kordzaia, and the cancellation of his concert in Gori following a smear campaign by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://t.co/I4XpdmBeX8

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

The Public Defender’s office is abolishing two departments — one focused on gender equality issues and the other on strategic litigation — as part of a reorganisation, according to two former deputy public defenders.

Read the full article here: https://t.co/H2fbMu8n4v

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Azerbaijan has launched a criminal case over alleged calls to seize power by force and incite religious hatred, declaring Turkish columnist Celal Çiftçi internationally wanted.

https://t.co/RgTzQwSw1y

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Israeli President Isaac Herzog bypassed a Turkish ban on using its airspace to travel to Baku by flying on a commercial Azerbaijan Airlines jet.

🔴 Turkish officials later said they were not aware Herzog was on the commercial jet.

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/e7Ru53tfH9

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

During Thursday’s government session, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he intends to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan by 2031, which also marks the end of his current term and when the next parliamentary elections are set to take place in Armenia.

👉Find the full article here: https://t.co/1vVJ3XL7U7

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR is interested in resuming natural gas purchases from Russia’s Gazprom, despite the country’s role as a major gas exporter.

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/pCK80BLOIu

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Six people convicted in connection with the 4 October events have been released from prison after reaching plea agreements with the prosecution.

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/gpyVMxxFGI

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Chechen UFC champion Khamzat Chimaev has criticised Azerbaijan’s restrictions on hijabs in schools, sharing a post with the words ‘Free Hijab’.

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Delegations from Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, and Pakistan walked out of the hall as Israeli President Isaac Herzog began his speech at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Baku on Thursday.

Video via social media

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

‘Where did the millions go?’: Former culture minister accused amid calls for probe into Patriarch’s funeral spending.

https://t.co/mM6y9TCqyR

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

French Foreign Minister calls out Azerbaijan’s ‘provocative’ actions in New Caledonia

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/2LBq4bINdC

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Giorgi Varabiovi, a guard at Rustavi Prison No 6 who participated in the search of prisoner Giorgi Davitadze in a de-escalation room, handed in his resignation in March, according to the service.

https://t.co/RP1zovc7zD

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief adviser Hasan Nuri Yaşar has claimed that some are attempting to undermine ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan amid growing public controversy over Azerbaijan’s school hijab restrictions.

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/s5KLPNcqH2

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

The Malgobek department of Russia’s Investigative Committee in Ingushetia responded to a complaint by local resident Ibragim Tochiev with a quote from Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder and first chairman of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (VChK, also known as the Cheka), one of the predecessors of the Soviet state security agencies.

https://t.co/Whv32rQ9qo

[OC Media @OCMediaorg]

Who chooses Armenia’s colour palette? — How a cancelled drag show sparked debate on queer inclusion

👉Read the full feature here: https://t.co/vONIJ8K9F3