Georgian law enforcement has detained an ethnic Azerbaijani in Marneuli who gained international attention through a viral video showing him stuffing a stack of ballots into a voting box, according to Shalva Papuashvili, a member of the political council of the "Georgian Dream" party and the parliament chair.
The detainee, Rovshan Iskenderov, is the deputy chair of the local municipality and a member of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party. An investigation is underway, and police will decide on Iskenderov’s future based on its results.
According to the Central Election Commission, the ruling party won the elections with 54% of the vote. However, the President of Georgia and opposition parties have declared the October 26 parliamentary elections illegal and fraudulent. Among the evidence presented, the most well-known is a video from polling station 69 in the Azerbaijani-populated Marneuli, where Iskenderov, in the presence of other election officials, can be seen casting a stack of ballots into the box.
The incident was captured on video by an observer from the "My Voice" mission, who was subsequently physically assaulted and expelled from the polling station. Former public defender Nino Lomjaria later shared the video footage online, amplifying the incident’s visibility.
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Weather will be changeable in the capital on Friday. Precipitation is possible in places at night. Moderate southwestern wind, which will turn into northwestern one in the evening. Air temperature is +10+12 at night, +13+17 during the day. Humidity is 70-80%.
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A coalition of 159 professors and academics from 100 universities across 28 countries has urged Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, and COP29 President, Mukhtar Babayev, to advocate for the release of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu, an academic economist and environmental activist who has been under indefinite house arrest since July 2023.
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The United States Embassy in Azerbaijan is pleased to share that 1,130 Azerbaijanis studied in the United States during the 2023-2024 academic year – a 25.4 percent increase from the previous year. At a special event today hosted by the U.S. Embassy at the COP29 Information Point Bulvar to honor Azerbaijani youth involvement in climate action, U.S. Ambassador Mark Libby stated, "It is clear that Azerbaijanis who set their sights on studying in the United States are increasingly successful in realizing their dreams. The U.S. is the most attractive study destination for students from around the world. More than 1.1 million international students from 210 countries and regions studied there last year.”
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On 21 November, weather in the capital will be changeable. In the morning and evening there will be drizzle in places. Moderate south-western wind. Air temperature will be +9+11 at night and +12+15 during the day. Humidity 70-80 %.
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