March 2022 - Page 5

This article is about – LGBTQI refugees during Russia’s war in Ukraine. The material has been translated from English into Georgian. You can see the full English version of the text at the following link.

On February 24, Russian troops invaded Ukraine and started a war. The war, which has been going on for a week, has already claimed the lives of many people. It forced many Ukrainians to leave their land and take refuge in neighboring states. People from all over the world are watching how Russian forces are destroying Ukrainian cities, buildings and how Ukraine’s history is changing.

Municipal Council Building, Kharkiv

Freedom Square, Kharkiv

Kharkiv Municipal Building

Karazin University, Kharkiv

Constitution Square, Kharkiv

Exploded bridge in Irpin

Residential complex in Kyiv

Industrial building in Yasynuvata

Hospital in Kyiv

10-storey residential building in Kyiv

Residential building in Irpin

Jewelry store in Kharkiv

Residential building in Kyiv

Kharkiv

Residential building, Lenin Street, Borodianka

Kyiv

On February 24, Putin’s Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine. It is the largest military aggression in Europe since World War II. Putin described the actions as a special military operation, a peacekeeping mission. Putin’s disinformation machine immediately started working and tried to declare Russia a peaceful nation, which was not easy. The truth of misinformation is much harder in the digital age. Putin, obsessed with “Soviet glory” is still exemplary. So Soviet-era propaganda posters are as relevant in Russia as they used to be.

The spirit of communism lingers in Europe, as evidenced by Putin’s 22-year one-man rule. President Putin is trying to expand the borders of the Russian Empire as far as he can. However, for years Russian aggression was taken seriously enough by the Western society. During the war in Ukraine Putin’s Russia remained a hope for 1-2 friendly countries, while the rest of the world turned their backs. So it can be said that the spirit of communism can come back to life.

Ukraine is still waiting for warriors, though not with open arms, as Putin thought. Russia has long considered no one (almost no one) as its savior. Ukraine, free from Soviet influence, met the Russian aggressors with a fighting attitude, which was not as easy to break as Putin had imagined.

Moreover, Western sanctions have even pitted Putin’s loyal supporters against the “glorious leader.” The devaluation of the ruble, rising prices for products, and the freezing of capital accumulated in Western financial institutions have made the oligarchs realize that Russian aggression is damaging their property.

Therefore, Putin decided to censor all dissenting opinions, because “lying” is the biggest enemy of dictatorship. Critical media outlets were restricted from broadcasting, measures were taken to reduce the flow of information from other countries. The role of propaganda media was further strengthened, although in the age of the Internet, establishing control over information was not as easy as it was in Soviet times. An example of this is the correct information spread in the evaluations of various Russian food outlets or in the list of sights in Google Map, which is spread by consumers from all over the world.

The ignorant are blind, and Putin arranges for the presence of as many ignorant people as possible in his own Russia. Who will go to defend the homeland with his one call. However, ignorant people often fail and get misfortune, which appeared even during the attack on Ukraine. The war, which was to decide the fate of Ukraine in the first days, lasted much longer, and Russian soldiers are increasingly losing their temper. Because they often do not know where they are going and what justification will be sought by Russia. A war waged on the land of another country.

Putin’s goal is the same – Berlin, Kiev, Tbilisi and all other cities, but, most likely, this goal has not been achieved. After the mobilization in Russia was announced, Georgia became the goal or final destination of the Russian people. People who did not vote for Russian aggression are now seeking refuge in other countries.

The same is true for Putin, and the Russian president. He has no allies who, like him, can achieve the glorious goals of Russian imperialism. The international media calls Putin’s statements about nuclear weapons a “doomed attempt.” Therefore, we must assume that Putin will not be able to conquer half of Europe as his Nazi ancestor did.

Today, Putin is the worst enemy of women, children, people who want a peaceful life. This is why the whole world has joined Putin in the fight against Russia. However, it must be said that Putin is also an enemy of the Russian people. This is evidenced by the records of mothers and Russian soldiers who know nothing about sending their family members to the battlefield. Hundreds of people have been detained during rallies in Russia, but most Russians still do not know who to fight against or simply do not want to bother voting against Putin.

Today, Putin calls Russians in the name of the motherland and instructs them to join the war in another country. But the information spread on social networks, confirms that Russian citizens are planning to leave the country, among others Georgia. Russians are called by their motherland, but this cry is not followed by most of the citizens and they also avoid enlisting in the army in different countries.

The Public Defender of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria, wrote about her application for EU membership on her Facebook page. According to Lomjaria, “Georgia today has an extraordinary opportunity to get consent from the European Union to become a candidate.”

Lomjaria noted that her vision called for analysis of what she had heard from Western partners and the political spectrum for unanimity.

“For this [for European integration] it is critically necessary for the Georgian political spectrum today to show the West full unanimity around this idea! what does this mean? The statement was officially made by the government, however, it will be important for the opposition parties to send messages to their partner parties in the European Parliament. To everyone they vote for, that we are all united around this idea and that this is what most of the political or civic spectrum wants in the country! We should turn this idea into a reason for the unification of the country and not for further fragmentation or polarization! We must show political maturity and not destroy whoever it comes from!” Lomjaria wrote on Facebook.

According to the Public Defender, the people’s protest played a crucial role in sending the application.

“People’s protest has played a crucial role in sending this statement, because every government is more afraid of its own voters than of outside forces! Therefore, rallies in support of European integration should not include issues that divide this unity of the people! “- said the Public Defender, adding that we should get a full and deserved place in the EU – Place in their ranks. Skeptics will now appear in their ranks, reminding us of failed reforms, the reversal of democracy, all the abusive statements made by the authorities in recent times. But we must remind them that our heroic soldiers’ and peace-loving civilians’ blood was spilled due to the aspirations of the membership of the civilized world in the past 30 years. The population of Georgia will soon see the internal reforms!”

The Prime Minister, Irakli Gharibashvili, signed a document on Georgia’s request to join the European Union today.

“Today is a historic day for Georgia. I am signing the application for EU membership on behalf of the country. Applying for EU membership is another official stage on Georgia’s path to European integration. Our country has always belonged to the area of ​​European culture and civilization. With its long history, it still makes a valuable contribution to its protection and development,” Gharibashvili said.

Major Hollywood film studios have stopped renting films in Russia due to the events in Ukraine over the past week.

The first to make that decision was The Walt Disney, which made an official announcement on Monday saying that the premiere of the Disney and Pixar animated film Turning Red would no longer take place in Russia.

Shortly after Disney’s announcement, Warner Brothers and Sony also stopped showing movies in Russia. On Tuesday, Paramount Pictures and Universal joined the above-mentioned film companies.

“Future business decisions will depend on how things turn out,” Disney said.

Warner Bros. has canceled the premiere of “Batman” in Russia, and Sony – Morbius.

According to Comscore, 3% of the profits of Hollywood movie companies come from the Russian market.

On December 9, in connection with the International Human Rights Day, the Tbilisi Human Rights House held an event to discuss the challenges and needs of Georgian human rights defenders.

An award ceremony for the winners of the Lekso’s Award was also held at the event. The award will be annual and will honor journalists who strive to protect human rights through their professional activities.

The award ceremony was chaired by Baia Pataraia, Human Rights Defender and Chairperson of the Tbilisi Human Rights House. He said the idea of ​​establishing the award arose after the tragic events of July 5th.

“I am glad that the idea of ​​establishing this award arose, despite the fact that the idea of ​​establishing Lekso Lashkarava’s award echoed after the events of July 5, when about 50 journalists were attacked, verbally and physically abused for covering human rights violations. Journalists working on human rights abuses often become targets themselves, which is to blame for government and police inaction. An example of this is the events of July 5, which caused a great loss. In order to honor the name of Lekso Lashkarava, we have decided to establish this award,” said Baia Pataraia.

The Lekso’s Prize nominees were revealed in two categories:

Best Human Rights Video Report:

• • Keti Nadibaidze – Formula TV;
  • Guga Maisuradze – “TV Pirveli”;
  • Tornike Mandaria and Davit Koridze – “Radio Liberty”.

The winners of the Lexus Prize were Radio Liberty journalists Tornike Mandaria and Davit Koridze, for the story – Superstition and Pride, which reflected on the July 5 preparatory period and developments.

Tornike Mandaria says that human rights are the cornerstone of journalism and he hopes that their story will bring about beneficial changes.

“Journalism is complicated all over the world, but in our region and in Georgia, where the state of the media has never been even close to ideal, today there are especially difficulties. We have to deal with social stigmas, restrictions on access to public information, attacks by the authorities and attempts to discredit. And on July 5, when we were at the forefront of defending equality and freedom of expression, we became the target of a massive physical attack. Human rights are a cornerstone of journalism, and I hope that seeing the footage we have been exposed to in the face of physical injury will soon bring shame and empathy to many people,” Tornike Mandaria said in a statement.

The second category of the Lekso’s Award included the best human rights articles. Among the nominees we saw regional media representatives whose work reflected the challenges facing LGBTQI + people and children’s rights.

Nominees for Best Human Rights Article 2021:

• Lisa Torosyan – Aliq Media;
• Nino Vartapetiani – TV Company “Borjomi”;
• Gulgun Mamedkhanova – OC Media.

The winner of the award was Nino Vartapetiani, a journalist of Borjomi TV. The article was about anxiety and depression in children, which was exacerbated by the pandemic reality.

Nino Vartapetiani spoke about the process of preparing the article.

“It is a great honor and motivation to work with more diligence on human protection materials. Children’s mental health in a pandemic is a problem that is not visible on the surface. There is a shortage of psychologists and social workers in the regions, working on these communities. I tried to conduct research, I was interviewed by psychologists working in this field, and according to the respondents, I was better able to present the problem, ”said Nino Vartapetiani in her speech.

Nino Vartapetiani told us that the existence of such a prize is an appreciation of the human rights media and an additional motivation.

“This award will increase the motivation for journalists who are already working in the field of human rights to cover more issues that may not be visible on the surface. Assessing the aspirations and challenges faced by the human rights media will bring about positive change, including encouraging regional media, which will face far greater challenges at times. You need a lot of work in the regions to highlight the essence of the problem, there is a lot of resistance,” said a journalist from Borjomi TV.

The Lekso’s Prize will be an annual award honoring the work of media professionals who work in the field of human rights and strive to bring challenges to a large audience.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered a new variant of HIV infection that is potentially much more contagious and puts a bigger blow to the immune system. There are currently 109 people living with the virus in the Netherlands who show symptoms twice as fast.

According to scientists, the new strain – VB variant, destroys the immune system and also reduces the body’s ability to deal with common viruses and diseases much faster than previous strains of HIV, which means that the development of AIDS is much faster.

Researchers have also found that VB is 3.5-5.5 times more abundant in the blood, indicating that it will be much more easily transmitted, in addition, the degree of damage to the immune system increases twice as fast.

Frequent testing is the best way to fight HIV, including new strains, so if you have sex often and with different partners, be sure to get tested at a clinic, and if you are from an LGBTQ community or involved in sex work – call a quick test from Selftest.ge And take the test without leaving home.

HIV-negative people can join the prep program completely free of charge. Prep is a medication that reduces the risk of HIV infection by 99%.