MINELRES: Georgia: Ombudsman's Office to assiss refugees in obtaining refugee status

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Emil Adelkhanov <emil-ade@cipdd.org>


Ombudsman's Office to assist Chechen refugees in obtaining refugee
status

In February Chechens residing in the Pankisi Gorge addressed the
Ombudsman of Georgia and asked to assist them to obtain refugee status.
According to them the Ministry for Refugees and Accommodation has
unfairly terminated their status  during the annual registration
process.

On February 26 Ombudsman of Georgia Sozar Subari visited the Pankisi
Gorge to study the situation on-site. He initiated the set up of  an
independent commission headed by the Ombudsman's Representative in the
Kakheti region Mr. Nidar Sepiashvili. The commission is comprised of
representatives of various NGOs and Chechen refugees themselves. 

About 80 families addressed the commission. However, the commission had
to turn down appeals of 36 families as they had no necessary documents.
12 families were registered in Akhmeta district. Thus they were citizens
of Georgia and ineligible for refugee status under Article 10, paragraph
2, Law of Georgia on Refugees. The commission has notified them about
the refusal by sending official letters.

The commission studied all documents and found out that 13 families were
previously registered in Akhmeta district. In order to exclude the
possibility of their being Georgian citizens, the commission plans to
check the families' data within the Supreme Council of Justice alongside
with the data of 23 other ones. 

Once the commission finishes its work, the results will be made known
for public at large. 


Press Center of the Ombudsman's Office of Georgia