MINELRES: Fwd: FIDH report: Ethnic Minorities in Georgia

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


----- Original Message -----
From: "Felix Corley" <fcorley@ndirect.co.uk>


International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

Ethnic Minorities in Georgia
Publication of an international fact-finding mission Report

http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ge412ang.pdf

Paris, 2 June 2005 - The International Federation for Human Rights
(FIDH) publishes a report entitled "Ethnic Minorities in Georgia"
following an international fact-finding mission into the rights and
freedoms of the ethnic minorities.

This mission was set up in the context of a huge influx into Western
Europe of asylum seekers from Georgia who complained of discrimination.
The mission took place in Tbilisi and in the provinces (Tsalka,
Akhalkalaki, Akhaltsikhe). The mission mainly focused on cases relating
to the Yezidi Kurds, and the minorities in the regions of Tsalka and
Samtskhe-Javakhetia.

The publication comes just when Georgia has committed itself, at the
beginning of the year, to ratifying the European Framework Convention on
National Minorities by September 2005.

The problem of minorities in Georgia is historical, ideological,
political, legal and economic. It is made all the more complex as it
involves an attempt to reconcile protecting the identity of minorities
with ensuring their social integration. If the system for protecting
minorities fails, minority groups will become isolated and, as a result,
socially excluded, or else, they are assimilated and disappear.

Decisions and policies regarding the question of minorities is also
either the cause or the effect of the State's nationalism which is
reflected in minority groups. Bilateral relations between Georgia and
the countries of origin of these groups, or between Russia, the minority
groups and their country of origin often determine the policies relating
to minorities. Inequalities are heightened by the economic and social
situation in the country, the effect of which is all the more evident
amongst minority groups. In addition, all the spheres where human rights
apply are affected by corruption, as are the minorities, and especially,
the most vulnerable members of society, who often belong to the minority
groups.

The FIDH asks the Georgian government to conform in all respects to the
international treaties and conventions to which the State of Georgia is
party in order to ensure the rule of law; to make sure that the cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment and any form of discrimination inflicted
by the law enforcement agencies on Georgian citizens, particularly those
from minority groups, because of their ethnic, religious and/or national
origins (Yezidi Kurds, Azeris, Armenians etc) is ended; investigate
these violations, identify their perpetrators and punish them in
accordance with the relevant regional and international laws so as to
put an end to their impunity; combat corruption which is ruining at the
country and hindering observance of the economic, social and political
rights of all citizens and especially of those belonging to minority
groups.

The FIDH asks the Georgian government to ratify the European Framework
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as soon as
possible.

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