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Georgian governor dismisses ethnic Armenian rioters as "common criminals"
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
12 Mar 06
[Presenter] In Akhalkalaki [town in southern Georgia populated mainly
by ethnic Armenians], where the Russian military base is still
stationed, a court and university building have been ransacked. The
alleged pretext was the killing of an Armenian youth in Tsalka
[another town in southern Georgia with a large ethnic Armenian
population]. However, new demands were heard in Akhalkalaki, from
where our correspondent reports.
[Correspondent] Members of the Armenian public council staged a rally
in the centre of Akhalkalaki at about noon [on 11 March]. The
organizers cited a murder in Tsalka several days earlier as the
reason. Akhalkalaki's Armenian population is convinced that their
kinsman in Tsalka was killed precisely because he was Armenian.
[Azat Mipaktsyan, captioned as chairman of the Javakheti
intelligentsia organization, in Russian] Gevork Gevorkyan was killed
in Tsalka in what we are told was a common street fight. The people
rose in order to prevent such incidents in future.
[Correspondent] Members of the Armenian public organization say that
the resettlement of people from other parts of Georgia is behind the
frequent conflicts in Tsalka. They want the authorities to ensure the
safety of ethnic Armenian residents.
[Vardan Akopyan, captioned as chairman of Akhalkalaki youth
organization, in Russian] People are outraged by the fact that the
Georgians studying there [at the university in Akhalkalaki] are not
local.
[Correspondent to Akopyan] Where are they from?
[Akopyan] For example, from Kutaisi or Zugdidi. They have been
provided with accommodation. We have a very hard climate here, but all
the necessary conditions are being created for them and they are also
being paid scholarships.
There are already hundreds of such people here.
[Correspondent] After the rally, people broke into the Akhalkalaki
District court in protest at the dismissal of ethnic Armenian
judges. The next object of public anger was the Akhalkalaki branch of
the [Tbilisi] state university.
Protesters broke down the main door and ransacked the building. They
said that Armenians, unlike Georgians, could not study there because
tuition was in Georgian.
[Akopyan] The Armenian language should be declared a state language in
places where Armenians live in compact communities. There are a total
of almost 200,000 ethnic Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakheti [province
which includes Akhalkalaki] and in the 13 Armenian villages in Tsalka
District. We see this as our right, especially as the right of the
local people, people who were born here. This would lift most of the
tension.
[Correspondent] According eyewitnesses, angry people also broke into
the local office of the [Georgian] Orthodox Church. Nuns say that they
were looking for arms. [Passage omitted]
The governor [of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Giorgi Khachidze] has arrived in
Akhalkalaki to look into the situation.
[Khachidze] These are common criminals. Criminals have no nationality.
Some little men organized this. They brought uneducated children here
who committed these acts of vandalism. These are common criminals who
are no better than those who killed an ethnic Armenian youth in Tsalka
several days ago.
[Correspondent] Criminal proceedings have been launched in connection
with these incidents [riots], but Samtskhe-Javakheti police have not
yet arrested anyone.
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
12 Mar 06
[Presenter] In Akhalkalaki [town in southern Georgia populated mainly
by ethnic Armenians], where the Russian military base is still
stationed, a court and university building have been ransacked. The
alleged pretext was the killing of an Armenian youth in Tsalka
[another town in southern Georgia with a large ethnic Armenian
population]. However, new demands were heard in Akhalkalaki, from
where our correspondent reports.
[Correspondent] Members of the Armenian public council staged a rally
in the centre of Akhalkalaki at about noon [on 11 March]. The
organizers cited a murder in Tsalka several days earlier as the
reason. Akhalkalaki's Armenian population is convinced that their
kinsman in Tsalka was killed precisely because he was Armenian.
[Azat Mipaktsyan, captioned as chairman of the Javakheti
intelligentsia organization, in Russian] Gevork Gevorkyan was killed
in Tsalka in what we are told was a common street fight. The people
rose in order to prevent such incidents in future.
[Correspondent] Members of the Armenian public organization say that
the resettlement of people from other parts of Georgia is behind the
frequent conflicts in Tsalka. They want the authorities to ensure the
safety of ethnic Armenian residents.
[Vardan Akopyan, captioned as chairman of Akhalkalaki youth
organization, in Russian] People are outraged by the fact that the
Georgians studying there [at the university in Akhalkalaki] are not
local.
[Correspondent to Akopyan] Where are they from?
[Akopyan] For example, from Kutaisi or Zugdidi. They have been
provided with accommodation. We have a very hard climate here, but all
the necessary conditions are being created for them and they are also
being paid scholarships.
There are already hundreds of such people here.
[Correspondent] After the rally, people broke into the Akhalkalaki
District court in protest at the dismissal of ethnic Armenian
judges. The next object of public anger was the Akhalkalaki branch of
the [Tbilisi] state university.
Protesters broke down the main door and ransacked the building. They
said that Armenians, unlike Georgians, could not study there because
tuition was in Georgian.
[Akopyan] The Armenian language should be declared a state language in
places where Armenians live in compact communities. There are a total
of almost 200,000 ethnic Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakheti [province
which includes Akhalkalaki] and in the 13 Armenian villages in Tsalka
District. We see this as our right, especially as the right of the
local people, people who were born here. This would lift most of the
tension.
[Correspondent] According eyewitnesses, angry people also broke into
the local office of the [Georgian] Orthodox Church. Nuns say that they
were looking for arms. [Passage omitted]
The governor [of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Giorgi Khachidze] has arrived in
Akhalkalaki to look into the situation.
[Khachidze] These are common criminals. Criminals have no nationality.
Some little men organized this. They brought uneducated children here
who committed these acts of vandalism. These are common criminals who
are no better than those who killed an ethnic Armenian youth in Tsalka
several days ago.
[Correspondent] Criminal proceedings have been launched in connection
with these incidents [riots], but Samtskhe-Javakheti police have not
yet arrested anyone.