TBILISI: Georgia alleged yesterday that opposition leaders had links with organized crime bosses after authorities released covert surveillance tapes and police evidence ahead of crucial elections.
Those accused include activist Kakha Kaladze and the ex-Soviet state’s former conflict resolution minister Giorgi Khaindrava.
No formal charges have been made and the men have denied any wrongdoing, while the opposition claims the government has launched a negative PR campaign after being damaged by a jail torture scandal this month.
The claims have been widely broadcast on Georgian media amid tensions ahead of Parliamentary polls on Monday that will see President Mikheil Saakashvili’s ruling party face a strong challenge from an opposition coalition led by billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili.
On Tuesday, prosecutors in Tbilisi released evidence supplied by French police that Khaindrava had been plotting a post-election coup with fugitive Georgian crime bosses in France.
“According to the materials provided by French National Gendarmerie, a deal has been reached between a representative of the Georgian opposition and gang bosses that are at the head of an international criminal network, aimed at provoking violent acts and destabilization in Georgia,” a statement said.
The French document published by the Georgian justice ministry said that some opposition members were seeking crime bosses’ backing to win support from diaspora voters or “supply arms and men for a possible coup in Georgia if the option of an electoral victory cannot be achieved”.
Khaindrava was summoned for questioning by police Tuesday but was not detained.
Georgian officials have warned of potential election-linked unrest after the scandal over prison torture this month sparked nationwide protests.
On Wednesday, the Georgian interior ministry also released audio surveillance tapes which it said proved that opposition politicians including retired footballer Kaladze had links with organized crime.
Kaladze, who is running for Parliament in Monday’s polls as part of the Georgian Dream opposition coalition led by Ivanishvili, has said the claims are false.
Georgia accuses opposition of mafia links before polls
Georgia accuses opposition of mafia links before polls
In rare overlap, Chinese Muslims observe Ramadan with Lunar New Year
- Lunar New Year started on Feb. 17 and is celebrated for another two weeks
- Chinese Indonesians make up about 3 percent of the Indonesian population
JAKARTA: Every year, on the first day of Lunar New Year, Febriani visits relatives and gathers for a feast with her Chinese Muslim family, part of a long-standing tradition honoring their ethnic heritage.
But this year, as Thursday marks the beginning of Ramadan, she is celebrating two important occasions within the same week, in a rare overlap that last took place in 1995.
“I’m very happy and grateful that Lunar New Year and Ramadan are celebrated so closely. I observe both every year, so it’s truly special,” she told Arab News.
Widely observed across Asia, the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year festival is believed to date back to the 14th century B.C., to the times of the Shang Dynasty, China’s earliest ruling dynasty, when people celebrated good harvests.
In 2026, it started on Feb. 17 and is celebrated for another two weeks. For many, celebrations typically involve elaborate feasts, giving children pocket money in red envelopes, and watching dragon dance parades.
In Indonesia, Chinese-descent citizens make up an estimated 3 percent of the country’s Muslim-majority population of more than 280 million. While most are either Buddhists or Christians, a small minority professes Islam.
For 25-year-old Febriani, both Lunar New Year and Ramadan are equally meaningful.
“The two celebrations teach us to strengthen bonds, to share with one another, and to become closer to family,” she said.
“They are both important to me because they happen only once every year and they’re always an occasion to gather with the extended family. It is also a chance to self-reflect and strengthen relationships with your loved ones.”
For Naga Kunadi, whose family lives in Central Java’s Cepu district, Chinese New Year is all about embracing his ethnic identity.
Earlier in the week, his family was busy preparing for the new year’s feast, which was a fusion of Chinese and Indonesian dishes, such as claypot tofu, meatball soup and shumai, or steamed dumplings.
“To celebrate Chinese New Year, we prepared halal Chinese food at home. It’s also a way to introduce to my children the traditions from our Chinese side, but there’s a bit of a fusion because my wife is Javanese,” Kunadi told Arab News.
Kunadi, an Islamic teacher at the Lautze Mosque in Jakarta, sees both Chinese New Year and Ramadan as opportunities to teach important life values for his two children.
Upholding Chinese New Year traditions with his family is for him a way of preserving his ethnic heritage.
“We want to preserve cultural values as long as it does not clash with our religion,” he said.
“If we leave our culture behind, we might lose our identity, so this is something I want to teach my children.”
The fasting month of Ramadan, on the other hand, gives him a chance to teach and practice honesty.
“I want to focus on the religious and moral aspects during the holy month of Ramadan, when we practice honesty on a personal level,” Kunadi said.
“There’s always an opportunity to eat or snack in secret without anybody knowing, but we train ourselves not to do that. For me, Ramadan is a time for everyone to put honesty into practice, including myself and my children.”
