Human Rights in Georgia, June - July 2000: excerpts
Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 09:21:44 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Human Rights in Georgia, June - July 2000: excerpts
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Emil Adelkhanov-Steinberg <[email protected]>
Human Rights in Georgia, June - July 2000: excerpts
South Caucasian Human Rights Monitor
published by the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Development and
Democracy
with the help of the Winston Foundation for Peace
Editor: Emil Adelkhanov-Steinberg
Part 3
Human Rights in Georgia
June 2000
- The High Commissioner of the Council of Europe on HR in Georgia
- Deaths in custody
- Police brutality
- Policemen killed a man�
- Hunger strikes in custody
- Pardoning
- Arrested
- Extradition
- The case of Absandze
- The case of Asanidze
- The freedom of religion
- The freedom of press
- The problem of ethnicity registration
- The elections of ombudsman
- Legal reform
- The echo of Chechnya
- Hostages in the Kodori Gorge
- Social and economic rights
- Soldiers' rights
- In and about Abkhazia
- Varia
-----------------------
.......................
The problem of ethnicity registration
Patriarch Ilya II of Georgia appealed to Zurab Zhvania, the chairman
of the parliament, to restore ethnicity identification in the
citizen's ID (the previous parliament removed the item "ethnicity"
from Georgian IDs and birth certificates).
"Dilis Gazeti" No. 127, June 8, p. 2, Gea news agency, "Georgian
Patriarchate is for restoration of "ethnicity" item in ID"
On June 21 the debate of "Patriots" and "Masons" on the presidential
bill on restoring the item "ethnicity" in birth certificates nearly
came to hand-to-hand fight at the Parliamentary Committee for Civic
Integration [of minorities]. The "Patriots" argued that without such
an item the Georgian nation would vanish; their opponents objected
that the item would further disintegration of our society and might
even contribute to emergence of autonomies on ethnic grounds. No
consensus was found.
"Dilis Gazeti" No. 139, June 22, p. 4
(It was also President Shevardnadze who had introduced the bill on the
abolishment of the item that passed in the previous parliament. -
CIPDD)
On June 22 the Bureau of Parliament held a closed-door sitting to
discuss the proposal to specify ethnicity in birth certificates. Guram
Sharadze MP warned that if the parliament rejected the proposal and
the president did not veto the parliament's resolution he would demand
a referendum.
"Shvidi Dge" No. 72, June 23-25, p. 1, Mail-Express agency, "Sharadze
demanding a referendum"
.......................
The echo of Chechnya
According to the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, 6,900 Chechen
refugees have been officially registered and granted the refugee
status in Georgia. The Ministry said they could be deported back only
if Russia guaranteed their safety.
"Akhali Taoba" No. 169, June 22, p. 9, Prime-News agency, "6,900
Chechen refugees registered in Georgia"
.......................
In and about Abkhazia
Guram Chimakadze, 50, and Nazi Chimakadze, 70, were killed in Sukhumi
by local Abkhaz some days ago. The murderers had allegedly an
intention to seize their home.
"Akhali Taoba" No. 152, June 5, p. 7, "Georgian residents of Sukhumi
killed by local Abkhaz"
According to the newspaper, 1,246 Georgian residents of the Gali
district of Abkhazia were killed during 1993-97, including 23
underage, 205 women and 771 elders; 183 were burnt in their houses; 15
families were completely exterminated. 194 people are missing; 5,000
private houses were burnt down as well as 43 buildings of various
organisations, 21 schools and 18 kindergartens.
"Akhali Taoba" No. 152, June 5, p. 9, Tamara Absava, "44 Georgian POWs
had their heads smashed by tanks"
The Abkhaz NGO "Spravedlivost" (Justice) demands the Abkhaz
authorities to take stronger measures against the outlawed
organisation of Jehovah Witnesses (banned by a presidential decree)
that, in its opinion, saps the Abkhazian Republic's military power.
"Dilis Gazeti" No. 126, June 7, p. 5, Gea news agency, "Abkhaz
attacked Jehovah Witnesses"
By the resolution of the OSCE summit in Istanbul, the Russian military
base in Gudauta is to be called off by July 2001. Abkhaz authorities
told, however, the Russian military and diplomats on visit in Sukhumi
they would bloc the withdrawal of the Russian equipment from Gudauta.
The equipment and armaments must be in Abkhazia in case of resumption
of the hostilities, Sergey Shamba, the foreign minister of the Abkhaz
republic, said. In his words, Abkhazia may keep the armaments by
force.
"Rezonansi" No. 162, June 18, p. 3, Prime-News agency, "Sukhumi lays
hands on the Russian weapons"
----------------------------------
July 2000
- Police brutality
- Discharged for lack of evidence
- Reconciliation and pardoning
- Hunger strike in custody
- Loti Kobalia
- The trial of Absandze et al.
- Freedom of press
- Freedom of religion
- Echo of Chechnya
- Parents deprived of their parental rights
- Social and economic rights
- Varia
- In and about Abkhazia
---------------------
.......................
Varia
.......................
The argument between Samepo Ubnis Teatri (Theatre of the Royal
Quarter) and the Jewish community of Tbilisi continues. The latter
keeps claiming that the building of the theatre had been a synagogue
before the revolution. On February 25, 1999, the Mtatsminda district
court resolved that the building should be returned to the Jewish
community but the theatre objected and appealed to the Tbilisi
regional court, which abolished the decision of the district court on
July 3. The Jewish community is going to appeal to the Supreme Court.
CIPDD
.......................
In and about Abkhazia
A group of gunmen led by Temur Kharzia is operating in the Gali
district of Abkhazia, terrorising local Georgian population. The
locals fear even to complain.
"Rezonansi" No. 175, July 3, p. 3, "Abkhaz gunmen terrorising Gali"
On behalf of the Provisional Committee of Abkhazia, Georgian guerrilla
commander Zurab Samushia warns that visitors of Abkhaz health resorts
had better leave Abkhazia, as Ardzinba's separatist regime would soon
come to an end. In his words, by destroying the Internet site
"Abkhazia", the Provisional Committee has defeated the Abkhaz in a
virtual war (the Abkhaz has created a new one, "Apsny", though).
"Rezonansi" No. 180, July 7, p. 4, "Zurab Samushia promising that
Ardzinba's regime will soon find itself in a disaster zone"
George Arsenisvhili, the Georgian state minister, and Vladislav
Tsugba, the Abkhaz premier, signed a protocol on stabilisation in the
security zone at a sitting of the Co-ordination Council for the
Georgian-Abkhaz settlement in Sukhumi on July 11. The document says
police forces in the zone shall not exceed 600 people on each side.
The same day Arsenisvhili held talks with Vladislav Ardzinba, the
Abkhaz leader.
"Rezonansi" No. 186, July 12, p. 3, Eliso Chapidze, "Secret talks
between Arsenisvhili and Ardzinba"
Tamaz Nadareishvili, the chairman of the Tbilisi-based Supreme Council
of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic, resents the protocol on
stabilisation signed in Sukhumi at a sitting of the Co-ordination
Council for the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement on 11 July (the Sukhumi
Protocol): it says nothing about repatriation of refugees or
restoration of Georgia's territorial integrity, and it requires both
parties to abstain from propagandising force solutions of the
Abkhazian problem.
"Dilis Gazeti" No. 157, July 13, p. 3, "Tamaz Nadareishvili: In
response to the Sukhumi "protocol" I state that Abkhazia must be
regained by force"
The parliamentary group "Abkhazia" and the Tbilisi-based Supreme
Council of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic express their indignation
against the Georgian-Abkhaz protocol on stabilisation recently signed
in Sukhumi, especially the article which stipulates that those
propagandising force solutions of the Abkhazian problem shall be sued.
"Shvidi Dge" No. 28, July 14-20, p. 2, Prime-News agency, "The
parliamentary group "Abkhazia" and the Supreme Council of Abkhazia are
indignant with the protocol signed in Sukhumi"
Stepan Volkovetsky, the ambassador of Ukraine to Georgia, visited
Sukhumi for talks with the Abkhaz leadership last week. As a result,
Vladislav Ardzinba, the Abkhaz leader, consented to hold an
Abkhaz-Georgian "meeting of confidence" in the Crimea. Several
documents are expected to be signed at the meeting, including a peace
agreement and a protocol on repatriation of refugees and economic
rehabilitation.
"Rezonansi" No. 192, May 18, p. 3, Gea news agency, "Ardzinba agreed
on a meeting in the Crimea"
Abkhaz Alexander Gangia, 72, was arrested in the Zugdidi district. In
response, Abkhaz authorities detained Diana Antia, a girl of 18,
dweller of the village of Achigvara, Gali district. She was kept in
custody until Georgian security service questioned and freed Gangia.
"Rezonansi" No. 195, July 21, p. 2, "Georgians and Abkhaz exchanged
hostages"
The Abkhaz leadership is seeking security guarantees from Tbilisi in
case the Russian military base is withdrawn from Gudauta.
"Dilis Gazeti" No. 165, July 22, p. 2, "Abkhazia demands to guarantee
security"
The UN Security Council is going to examine a draft project of the
political status of Abkhazia on August 31. The project, which is said
to provide Abkhazia with every right that a subject of a federation
might claim, will then be recommended to the Georgian and Abkhaz
parties. However, Sergey Shamba, the Abkhaz foreign minister, told the
Prime-News agency that the UN had better not waste time - the
independence of Abkhazia is guaranteed by its constitution and cannot
be call in question.
"Svobodnaya Gruzia" No. 170, July 26, p. 2, "Separatists rejected UN
proposals on the status of Abkhazia"
--
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe
Submissions: [email protected]
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected]
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================