Georgia Update

Personal Case, update

Amid the current events in Georgia, an unprecedented incident occurred in Adjara, shaking the entire educational community. The regime arrested Professor Mamuka Jorbenadze, the dean of one of the faculties at Batumi Art State University, along with four students from various art disciplines at the university.

Jorbenadze is a vital intellectual figure at the Art University. Thanks to his direct involvement, the university successfully underwent accreditation and authorization processes. He is also the founder of the International Student Film Festival and actively supports students in developing and implementing international creative projects.

According to those involved, the arrest was triggered by a university teacher together with her husband and several acquaintances who physically attacked Jorbenadze and the four students (Guram Mikeladze, Davit Gvianidze, Anri Kakabadze and Giorgi Tavitadse) for their participation in public protest rallies in Batumi. Law enforcement arrested the dean and students under charges of group assault, despite their defensive position.

Two actors, arrested in Tbilissi (see former post), are still in prison.

Theatres from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland made a joint project: actors from various cities and theaters have interpreted a choral text from Nino Haratischwili’s current play “Sacred Monsters” about systemic violence. This text was spoken in unison in numerous cities – from Hamburg to Frankfurt, to Vienna and Zurich – and subsequently assembled by the video artist and filmmaker Zaza Rusadze into a complete video. The video was sent to Georgian and oppositional broadcasters to document solidarity with the protesters in Georgia.

 

Release Mustafa Sheta, General Manager of The Freedom Theatre!

News, , ,
The organization Swedish Friends of The Freedom Theatre has sent a letter to the Swedish government requesting that Israel be admonished to release theatre producer Mustafa Sheta from custody immediately.

Palestinian Mustafa Sheta, general manager and producer for The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Palestine, was abducted from his home in Jenin by Israeli soldiers on December 13th, 2023. He has been incarcerated since that date without a trial or sentencing. Recently, his incarceration has been prolonged for four months. He is imprisoned in complete isolation and has had one single contact with a witness who has reported that Sheta is living under extremely difficult conditions.

The Freedom Theatre in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank is a theatre and an active cultural center that has been conducting artistic and cultural activities for children, youth groups and adults for many years. It was founded with Swedish assistance and, for many years, received financial support from Sweden.

Read more

Release Mustafa Sheta

 

Georgian Artists Targeted Amid Escalating Repression

News, ,

Brutal tactics have been employed to suppress protests calling for democratic reforms and the country’s integration with the European Union. Peaceful protesters, numerous artists, and cultural figures have become victims of police brutality and political persecution.

Over 400 individuals have been detained, many of whom have been subjected to physical violence, humiliation, and torture at the hands of law enforcement and paramilitary groups acting with impunity. Among the victims are celebrated actors, poets, writers, directors, and other voices of Georgia’s cultural resistance.

These attacks underscore the government’s increasingly oppressive response to dissent, targeting not only ordinary citizens but also prominent figures from Georgia’s artistic and cultural community.

Despite the violence, the artistic community remains steadfast in its commitment to resisting oppression and is calling for your support in condemning these actions, demanding accountability, and standing in solidarity with the people of Georgia. The voices of artists, journalists, and activists are vital in the fight for a democratic and free Georgia, and their safety must be protected at all costs.
Over 500 artists and scientists worldwide have already signed the solidarity call Art Against Oppression: Solidarity with Georgia.

Read more: GEORGIAN ARTISTS TARGETED AMID ESCALATING REPRESSION

Names and info of all artists for this moment under the state violence and other materials are collected by Georgian Young Theatre and other colleagues.

 

Detainees and Disappeared: Art Documents and Archives Speak

News, Publication, ,

The archive project Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution presented a new book in Lebanon in September: Detainees and Disappeared: Art Documents and Archives Speak.

This book documents the problems of imprisonment and disappearance of people from the fields of art and culture between 2011 and 2020 in Syria on two levels. On one level, it traces the imprisonment, abduction, or killing under torture of artists and intellectuals who used their art to oppose the Syrian regime and all forms of oppression. This was particularly evident in the early years of the Syrian revolution. On the second level, various artistic works are presented that deal with those who were arrested or abducted for oppositional activities.

The book is available in Arabic from Antoine Publishers.

Russia: Dancer Ksenia Karelina Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

News, Personal Case,

Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a dual American-Russian citizen, was arrested and detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on 28 January in her hometown of Yekaterinburg, where she was visiting family.  After Russian authorities accessed Karelina’s phone and discovered that she had donated about $50 to Razom, a pro-Ukrainian charity, in 2022, the Sverdlovsk regional court sentenced her on 8 August to 12 years in prison for treason.
Her conviction came two weeks after Russia and the West carried out the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War, where 24 people were released. 

Sources: CNN, The Guardian