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What JAMnews examined in 2022

To America via Mexico - how and why Georgians are leaving
For about half a year, thousands of Georgians have been crossing the Mexican-American border illegally and surrendering themselves to American border guards, risking their health and lives to get to America.

Why it’s unbearable for them to stay in Georgia and how they experience the "American Dream" - JAMnews journalist Nino Narimanishvili tells the stories of immigrants.


The whole story is here
Legendary city thirty years later: a trip to Karabakh
Shusha (called Shushi in Armenia) came under Armenian control in 1992 during the first Karabakh war, and was returned to Azerbaijani control during the 2020 war. Both in Armenia and Azerbaijan it is considered a kind of sacred symbol.

A year after the war, when the road was cleared, bus excursions from Baku were organized to Shusha, which people began to call "pilgrimages." JAMnews correspondents Samira Ahmedbeyli and Isa Musaev went on this trip and told the story of the city and their fellow pilgrims. Lots of unique photos.

All stories and photos are here
"Ashamed to be a victim": stories of torture victims from Abkhazia
It is secret that police and security forces torture people in Abkhazia. But due to various circumstances, there is no large-scale fight against this phenomenon. How and why are prisoners tortured in Abkhazia, where a prisoner and a guard will definitely find common acquaintances? Why is it embarrassing to say that you were tortured? How to live after being tortured? And most importantly - how can this phenomenon be defeated?

This JAMnews investigation was conducted by Eleonora Giloyan.
The whole story is here
Why do women kill? Personal history, domestic violence statistics, and expert opinion
In a small gorge, the body of Manuk Simonyan was discovered wrapped in something and hidden under stones. Simonyan was a high-ranking official. Soon his wife was charged with murder. It turned out that she had been subjected to severe physical and psychological abuse for years. She killed her husband with an axe.

There has never been a comprehensive study on domestic violence in Armenia, but surveys show that one in four women experience domestic violence. Collected stories and research on the topic by Sona Martirosyan.
The whole story is here

Land of abandoned villages

A report by JAMnews journalists Sopho Zedelashvili and David Pipia from the completely deserted Truso Valley, where Ossetians and Georgians once lived together.

Winter in Truso is harsh and snowy. Even when spring comes, the valley remains empty. But in one village there is an elderly inhabitant who is hanging on. Sima Bedikhova told us their story.
All stories and photos are here

Deposits of gold and copper. Why did the situation in Karabakh escalate?

The reserves of the Gyzylbulag deposit (in Armenia called Drmbon) contain 13.6 units of industrial gold and 47.9 million tons of copper. The reserves of the Demirli (Kashen) deposit are estimated to contain 100 million tons of copper. Over 150 deposits of various minerals are located in this territory, including five deposits of gold, six of mercury, two of copper, one of tin and zinc, and more. The wealth of the earth and its affect on politics - JAMnews analysis.
Read more here

‘No winners’: gambling addiction and its victims in Armenia

Gambling has doubled Armenia’s revenue. Over the past three years the number of players has tripled and the total amount of bets has increased six times. About how gambling affects people's lives, what mechanisms are being developed to stop the craze, especially among minors. And one family’s story.
The investigation is here
“We are trying to be strong.” Stories from relatives of Georgian fighters killed in Ukraine
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, he had already bought a ticket to Poland. He was going to go to America through Mexico, like many from Georgia. But when the war started he said: I should go to Ukraine, not to America,” recalls the wife of David Gobejishvili, a Georgian volunteer who died defending Ukraine from the Russian invasion.

Since February 24 more than thirty Georgians have been killed in Ukraine. Khatia Gogoberidze talked to members of their families.
The whole story is here
Mystery of Zargava: the hidden history of an Azerbaijani village
Zargava is a small alpine village in the north of Azerbaijan. It is, apparently, the only one in the country where there are no common cemeteries, as local residents bury their relatives right in the courtyards or arrange “family cemeteries”. But this tradition turned out to be a well-kept secret which we tried to unravel by going to the village.

"Unheard stories about the life of those who are silent." Film from Armenia
The investigation is here

"Unheard stories about the life of those who are silent." Film from Armenia
There is a myth in Armenia that the deaf are not capable of anything. Because of this stereotype, they are not hired and few people communicate with them. But when you get to know them, it turns out that they are talented and very sociable people.

The heroes of this film prove that they are capable of anything.
The investigation is here

Medical care in Turkey

Every year thousands of Georgians go to neighboring Turkey for treatment. They take out loans and head to the new hotspot for cheap medical care in this region.

Maradia Tsaava traveled to Istanbul to see what clinics there offer patients that they can’t find in Georgia.
The whole story is here

Cows, war and faith: story of a Krishna farmer from an Azerbaijani village

Although there is a temple of Krishna in Baku, there are not so many adherents of this religion. In the regions they can be counted on two hands. In the Goranboy region there is only Jamshid and his family, and so they attract everyone's attention.

“I made the decision to become a vegetarian as a child. But my father was very strict, he said: “As long as you are a member of this family, you will eat everything that is put on the table. You are not a separate republic.” Today, Jamshid lives by his own rules and leads a large successful business.
The whole story is here

How Armenians and Azerbaijanis swapped homes

When the Karabakh conflict broke out, the Armenians left Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijanis left Armenia. People were forced to leave their homes.

A strange but neat solution was found ⁠— the populations simply exchanged homes.
The whole story is here

What caused the Armenia-Azerbaijan border war of September 13-14? Six versions

Open a corridor, keep Russia, isolate Georgia. War on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, reasons why and what to do - Anahit Baghdasaryan discusses.
All arguments and analysis are here

Georgian-Abkhaz war, 1992-1993. How it was ⁠— a view from Tbilisi and Sukhum/i

How did one of the bloodiest conflicts in the Caucasus, the Georgian-Abkhazian war, begin? What was the chain of tragic events leading up to this?

We asked Georgian and Abkhaz experts Paata Zakareishvili and Inal Khashig to recall twenty major events of the Abkhaz war. Two versions, two views from both sides of the conflict - what is common and what is different. Watch the JAMnews project from Tbilisi and Sukhum/i.
Timeline and analysis are here

Drugs become more accessible in Armenia through social networks

In Armenia the drug business is moving to open access online. More than 1,200 drug shops have appeared on Telegram alone, accessible to almost everyone. On average, between 400 and 600 people are looking for drugs on social platforms every minute.
Timeline and analysis are here

"My father is a crime boss"

The 1990s were the era of lawlessness and crime bosses in Georgia. It was a time when girls dreamed of becoming the wife of a crime boss, and the boys wanted to become thieves in law. Crime was romanticized. Since then Georgia has made great strides in the fight against organized crime. However, it has perhaps not been able to fully recover from the legacy of this phenomenon.

In this JAMnews project we talked to three men with thief-in-law fathers. They reminisce about their childhood, traumas, and relationships with their fathers.
All stories and photos are here
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