OC Media brings you the latest news, commentary, multimedia, and investigations from north and south of the Caucasus, with in-depth analysis of the issues, movements, conflicts and people shaping the region.
Latest posts by OC Media
New report details gross violations of humanitarian law in Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
A new report details extensive violations by Armenian and Azerbaijani forces of international humanitarian law during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, including unlawful bombing, extrajudicial killings, and torture.
Spate of attacks against LGBTQ+ people in Azerbaijan
"When he called the police, the officer told him, 'If I could, I would burn homosexuals myself'."
European Parliament calls for ‘immediate’ and ‘unconditional’ release of Armenian prisoners
On May 20, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Azerbaijani government to release all Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives.
Armenian parliament dissolved, paving way for June elections
The PM's resignation and parliament’s failure to appoint a successor were the required formalities for snap elections to occur.
Fifteen Georgian political parties sign joint agreement on queer rights
Fifteen political parties in Georgia have signed a statement outlining their commitment to protecting the rights of queer people.
Georgia toughens penalties for administrative offences
Georgian MPs have passed legislative amendments that introduce harsher fines and longer periods of pre-trial arrest for offenses that are routinely used by police to detain street protesters.
Viral video sparks debate on sexual harassment in Azerbaijan
The video caught ex-MP and university professor Huseynbala Miralamov inappropriately touching a female employee.
The toxic masculinity of Georgia’s gangster prince
The sexist tropes parroted by Bera Ivanishvili tell us a lot about how gender and power operate in Georgia, and the incompatibility of celebrity with the real-world power of a...
In post-war Armenia, legislators take aim at press freedom
Since the war, press work has been thrown into disarray by new and often vague regulations. Now, new draft bills could make reporting in Armenia even more difficult.
After grisly murder, women hold protest in Baku
The demonstration was given impetus by the brutal murder of a 32-year-old woman.
Georgians in Abkhazia and South Ossetia unable to vote
Ethnic Georgians living in Abkhazia and South Ossetia won’t be able to vote in Georgia's October 31 parliamentary elections. Georgia's government has no plan to protect these citizens’ right to...
Equal and more equal: Separatist Abkhazia's passport policy
"I love my country very much, but seeing this injustice, I just want to leave."
‘We’re caught in mid-air’: Raising a child with autism in Georgia
From individual therapy to special education teachers in schools, parents of children with autism in Georgia face a constant battle with the authorities to provide the services their children need.
A tale of two parents: Georgian drag artist on hostility, acceptance and learning to love life
"There is nothing modern about the idea you should love your child."
‘I keep silent and put up with it’: Surviving domestic violence in Armenia
"He would throw me against the walls like a ball."
In the Caucasus, queer people are forced to flee their homes
"There is a point after which you just can’t take it anymore."
Queer women in Russia’s North Caucasus ‘face sexual violence, forced marriage, and murder’
Out of the 21 women interviewed by QWNC, eight knew someone among their friends, relatives, or neighbours killed by their male family members for behaviour that "humiliated the family."
Sexual violence in the family. A taboo topic in Armenia
Cultural taboos and victim-shaming means women subjected to sexual violence at home often do not come forward.
To change the system from within or without: the dilemma for feminists in ‘New Armenia’
Most feminists concede that the new government is not quite educated on what women’s movements are about. But many have been forgiving, at least for now.
In the Ruins of Eastern Abkhazia's ‘Ghost Towns’, Life Goes On
"I don’t know what will happen, but we will plant zucchini."
