Day: May 21, 2025

A new social video clip aimed at promoting the right to equality and combating discrimination has been launched as part of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman’s public awareness efforts, Azernews reports.

German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer was verbally attacked and sworn at by an alleged Georgian Dream supporter in Batumi on May 18, the embassy confirmed to Formula TV, after the ruling party’s propaganda channel POSTV aired a video of the man himself using obscene language and bragging about insulting the diplomat in public.

“The embassy confirms the incident and thanks those Georgians who witnessed it and supported the Ambassador as a guest in their city. After nearby Georgians pointed out Mr. Kochiashvili’s disgraceful behavior, he quickly left the scene. Police were not present,” the German Embassy told Formula TV.

The man posted the TikTok video in which he recalls how he verbally attacked Peter Fischer, for some reason referring to his position by the Russian word [посол] distorted in a Georgian manner. He repeats the obscene names he called the Western diplomat, saying he should not have been let in the country and “should starve in Georgia.” He further asks: “Why hasn’t the government already kicked his a** and thrown him out of the country?”

Opposition leaders have condemned the incident, while Georgian Dream has remained silent.

Expressing solidarity with the German diplomat, Strategy Aghmashenebeli party leader Giorgi Vashadze described the incident as “shameful,” “unacceptable,” and “anti-Georgia behavior.”

“Not only was it a provocation, it was also an attack against a friend of the Georgian people, encouraged and organized by the regime, as evidenced by their propaganda circulating the incident,” he wrote on Facebook, adding, “This is not an isolated case. It is the result of years of hatred incitement against the West, targeted propaganda, and attempts to derail the country’s European course.”

Another opposition leader, Mamuka Khazaradze of Lelo, also condemned the verbal attack, calling it not only a “shame” for the country but also a “crime” that requires an “urgent reaction.” He said in a social media post that the GD government bears responsibility, “because its anti-Western rhetoric and propaganda provoked this incident.”

GD Fueling Anti-Diplomats Rhetoric

Fischer has recently become a particular target of the ruling party, as it has taken aim at diplomats. The GD parliament speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, has been especially vocal in his accusations and reprimands against the German Ambassador. 

Papuashvili criticized Fischer for attending the May 16 court hearing in Batumi of the detained journalist and the founder and director of the Batumelebi online publication, Mzia Amaghlobeli, as well as for appearing in an interview with the same outlet in front of a poster in its office that read, “Freedom for Mzia.”

“Given that the Ambassador does not speak Georgian and no one in the courtroom translated for him, it is clear that the purpose of this ‘observation’ was not to understand the details of the trial, but to show the judge that ‘big brother’ is watching him – and that if he does not make the desired decision, he will reap the consequences,” Papuashvili wrote on Facebook on May 20. He added, “Of course, both such ‘surveillance’ of the court hearing and the appearance of the German Ambassador in front of that poster represent pressure on the judiciary, which is a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

Batumelebi backed the Ambassador, stating that it conducts all interviews in front of the same poster demanding the release of the outlet’s director. The publication also rejected Papuashvili’s claim that Fischer was unaware of the court proceedings, noting that not only the German, but also the Swedish and Estonian ambassadors were present and all were provided with a written translation of the hearing.

In a May 15 interview, Fischer questioned the proportionality of an “excessively harsh punishment” for Mzia Amaghlobeli slapping a police officer. While acknowledging that “in Germany, you are not allowed to slap a policeman, of course,” he expressed concern over the possible four-to-seven-year sentence, noting she has spent four months in pretrial detention.

Earlier, on May 16, Papuashvili denounced the German Ambassador as an example of “Soviet-style thinking.” He was responding to Fischer’s comment that “if you want to join an organization like the European Union, it’s not a good idea to speak so badly about it.”

Alongside GD officials – with Papuashvili currently among the most vocal –  the ruling party’s propaganda media have also targeted the Ambassador.

On May 16, while Peter Fischer was meeting with media and civil society representatives in Batumi, the pro-government channel IMEDI TV aired – in an alarmist tone – a report claiming that the Ambassador was providing “instructions to radical opposition activists.” 

Although targeting diplomats is not new for Georgian Dream, it has intensified following a lengthy letter by Zaza Shatirishvili, the ruling party’s ideology chief, in which he urged the GD government to curb diplomatic missions in Georgia, accusing them of fueling “constant turmoil.” Shatirishvili proposed imposing staff quotas on embassies and restricting their activities, such as funding CSOs and organizing trainings. Since then, GD leaders – especially Irakli Kobakhidze and Shalva Papuashvili – have actively invoked the Vienna Convention in their messaging, lecturing diplomats about their rights and boundaries.

Also Read:

• 15/05/2025 – Germany Calls on Georgian Dream to End False Narratives, Cease Attacks on Ambassador
  

A commemorative concert honoring the 140th birthday of distinguished Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibayli has taken place at Railwaymen’s Palace in Kokand, situated in Uzbekistan’s Fergana region, Azernews reports.