International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) July 2013 The demarcation and reinforcement of the Abkhaz and South Ossetian administrative boundary lines continued, affecting the freedom of movement of residents nearby. Meanwhile, civilians continued to suffer the lingering effects of past conflicts, exacerbated by socio-economic uncertainty. Arrests for attempting to cross the boundaries were still reported, and family links and livelihoods were also affected. Bidzina Ivanishvili won the parliamentary elections in Georgia in October. Abkhazia also elected a new de facto parliament, and after the judicial annulment of earlier polls and a rerun, a new de facto president of South Read the full article…

Freedom House 24 May 2013 Overview Security forces prevented Alla Dzhioyeva, an opposition candidate who had led a November 2011 presidential election before the Supreme Court annulled the results, from proceeding with her unilateral inauguration in February 2012. A repeat election went forward in March with four new candidates, and former security chief Leonid Tibilov won the presidency with 54 percent of the vote in an April runoff. He pledged to root out his predecessor’s alleged corruption and included Dzhioyeva and his runoff opponent in his cabinet. While the political crisis calmed somewhat during the year, further elite infighting and Read the full article…