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THE ISSUES OF THE JAVAKHETI ARMENIANS ARE AGAIN PRESENTED IN AN INCOMPLETE AND DISTORTED FORM IN THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT'S 2010 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT ON GEORGIA
yerkir.am
20.04.2011
On April 8, 2011 the U.S. State Department released its 2010 Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices. In the country report on Georgia
similarly to the last year's report, the facts of violation of
the rights of the Armenians of Javakheti have been presented in an
incomplete and distorted manner.
In particular, the report fails to reflect the following violations
of the rights of the Armenians of Javakheti:
The social and political life of the Javakheti Armenians is under the
direct, systematic and total control of the Georgian law enforcement
agencies. Even the slightest manifestations of social protest of
the Javakheti Armenians are uprooted through illegal police actions
(illegal detention, pressure, threats, fabricated criminal charges,
etc.).
The results of the Georgian municipal elections, run in May 2010, were
rigged in the Armenian-populated regions in favor of Saakashvili's
"National Movement" ruling party.
The Georgian legislation bans the establishment of political
organizations on a regional basis. Consequently, in order to
take part in the elections, the Javakheti political structures are
obliged to seek ways to include their candidates in the lists of any
nationwide Georgian party. This greatly hinders the participation of
forces representing the interests of the Armenian population in the
socio-political life.
The Georgian authorities continue to impose mandatory legislative
and administrative measures to compel the minorities in the regions
of their compact residence to use exclusively the Georgian language
in all spheres of public life, ignoring the demands of the Javakheti
Armenians to grant the Armenian language the status of a regional
language. This is a flagrant violation of the international commitments
undertaken by Georgia , including the European Framework Convention
for the Protection of National Minorities.
According to the official statistical data, the Armenians constitute
about 55% of the population of Samtskhe-Javakheti province, but
they are almost non-represented in the governing bodies of this
administrative unit.
The Georgian custom officials on the Armenian-Georgian border continue
to pose artificial obstacles to transportation of Armenian books and
press to Javakheti.
The report rightly notes that the Javakheti Armenians complain "about
government unwillingness to give provincial-language status to the
Armenian language", but immediately afterwards it adds that "many NGOs
in the region stated that they saw an improvement during the year in
the number of opportunities for Georgian-language instruction". The
impression is that by this way the U.S. State Department encourages
the Georgian authorities to continue the policy of accelerated and
forcible imposition of the Georgian language, which is one of the
main sources of irritation of the Javakheti Armenians.
In the report of 2010 the inaccuracies on the case of Vahagn Chakhalyan
(the Javakheti Armenian political activist convicted to 10 years'
imprisonment based on trumped-up charges) have not been corrected. On
the positive side, in the new report the U.S. State Department
considered it appropriate to make a reference to the arguments of the
Armenian side, indicating that "Vahagn Chakhalian and his relatives
had been targeted for prosecution because of his political activity
in the country's ethnic Armenian community".
Comparing the report on Georgia with the reports on the other countries
of the region, we can see, that noting the phenomena, such as lack
of fair trial, judicial control by the authorities, prosecution
for politically motivated reasons in Georgia, the phenomena that
also affect the Javakheti Armenians, the U.S. Department of State
nevertheless avoids giving these cases an equivalent assessment,
thus applying double standards for Georgia.
The United States , as one of the main partners of Georgia , by
not covering in its report the basic facts of the violation of the
rights and freedoms of the national minorities in this country,
actually, delegate to Saakashvili's regime the right to continue
its discriminatory policy. The U.S. government, in fact, renders
Georgia disservice, as this mode of action by the Georgian authorities
increases day by day the resentment of Georgian citizens, including
Javakheti Armenians.
The Coordinating Council for Protection of the Rights of the Javakhk
Armenians urges the U.S. authorities to cover the issues of the
Armenian population of Georgia in their reports more objectively
and fairly, as well as to strengthen the efforts to ensure full
implementation of the international commitments undertaken by Georgia
in the field of protection of human rights and the rights of the
national minorities.
From: A. Papazian
yerkir.am
20.04.2011
On April 8, 2011 the U.S. State Department released its 2010 Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices. In the country report on Georgia
similarly to the last year's report, the facts of violation of
the rights of the Armenians of Javakheti have been presented in an
incomplete and distorted manner.
In particular, the report fails to reflect the following violations
of the rights of the Armenians of Javakheti:
The social and political life of the Javakheti Armenians is under the
direct, systematic and total control of the Georgian law enforcement
agencies. Even the slightest manifestations of social protest of
the Javakheti Armenians are uprooted through illegal police actions
(illegal detention, pressure, threats, fabricated criminal charges,
etc.).
The results of the Georgian municipal elections, run in May 2010, were
rigged in the Armenian-populated regions in favor of Saakashvili's
"National Movement" ruling party.
The Georgian legislation bans the establishment of political
organizations on a regional basis. Consequently, in order to
take part in the elections, the Javakheti political structures are
obliged to seek ways to include their candidates in the lists of any
nationwide Georgian party. This greatly hinders the participation of
forces representing the interests of the Armenian population in the
socio-political life.
The Georgian authorities continue to impose mandatory legislative
and administrative measures to compel the minorities in the regions
of their compact residence to use exclusively the Georgian language
in all spheres of public life, ignoring the demands of the Javakheti
Armenians to grant the Armenian language the status of a regional
language. This is a flagrant violation of the international commitments
undertaken by Georgia , including the European Framework Convention
for the Protection of National Minorities.
According to the official statistical data, the Armenians constitute
about 55% of the population of Samtskhe-Javakheti province, but
they are almost non-represented in the governing bodies of this
administrative unit.
The Georgian custom officials on the Armenian-Georgian border continue
to pose artificial obstacles to transportation of Armenian books and
press to Javakheti.
The report rightly notes that the Javakheti Armenians complain "about
government unwillingness to give provincial-language status to the
Armenian language", but immediately afterwards it adds that "many NGOs
in the region stated that they saw an improvement during the year in
the number of opportunities for Georgian-language instruction". The
impression is that by this way the U.S. State Department encourages
the Georgian authorities to continue the policy of accelerated and
forcible imposition of the Georgian language, which is one of the
main sources of irritation of the Javakheti Armenians.
In the report of 2010 the inaccuracies on the case of Vahagn Chakhalyan
(the Javakheti Armenian political activist convicted to 10 years'
imprisonment based on trumped-up charges) have not been corrected. On
the positive side, in the new report the U.S. State Department
considered it appropriate to make a reference to the arguments of the
Armenian side, indicating that "Vahagn Chakhalian and his relatives
had been targeted for prosecution because of his political activity
in the country's ethnic Armenian community".
Comparing the report on Georgia with the reports on the other countries
of the region, we can see, that noting the phenomena, such as lack
of fair trial, judicial control by the authorities, prosecution
for politically motivated reasons in Georgia, the phenomena that
also affect the Javakheti Armenians, the U.S. Department of State
nevertheless avoids giving these cases an equivalent assessment,
thus applying double standards for Georgia.
The United States , as one of the main partners of Georgia , by
not covering in its report the basic facts of the violation of the
rights and freedoms of the national minorities in this country,
actually, delegate to Saakashvili's regime the right to continue
its discriminatory policy. The U.S. government, in fact, renders
Georgia disservice, as this mode of action by the Georgian authorities
increases day by day the resentment of Georgian citizens, including
Javakheti Armenians.
The Coordinating Council for Protection of the Rights of the Javakhk
Armenians urges the U.S. authorities to cover the issues of the
Armenian population of Georgia in their reports more objectively
and fairly, as well as to strengthen the efforts to ensure full
implementation of the international commitments undertaken by Georgia
in the field of protection of human rights and the rights of the
national minorities.
From: A. Papazian