The US Department of State's annual report on the state of rights and freedoms in Georgia covered almost the entire spectrum of civil society

2023/03/54664-1679987676.jpg
Read: 3844     15:30     28 Март 2023    

Unfortunately, it should be noted that the problems of Yazidi community are not reflected in the report in any way, although there are a number of specific unresolved problems so far, which concern small peoples in Georgia such as Yazidis and Assyrians.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that there are provisions in the report with which it is important to familiarize civil society. The report notes that "the variety of statements promoting discrimination, of different vulnerable groups by politicians from year to year, shows that the state has not yet taken effective steps to reduce stereotypes and ensure equality between different groups... The media reported numerous cases of hate speech against minority groups during the year. In addition to political, civic, economic, and cultural obstacles, poor knowledge of the Georgian language remained a major obstacle to integration of the country's ethnic minorities. Some minorities claimed that the law, which requires "adequate command of the official language" to work as a state employee, excludes them from participation in government....

The report noted that the involvement of ethnic minorities in national decision-making processes remains a problem because of the small number of ethnic minority representatives in the central government....".

"...The government continued the 1+4 program for ethnic minorities to learn the Georgian language for one year before entering university. Under the quota system, the government allocated 12 percent of all bachelor's or higher degree seats to ethnic minority students. Of these reserved places, the ethnic Armenian and Azeri communities each received 40 per cent (5 per cent of the total), and the Ossetian and Abkhazian communities each received 10 per cent (1 per cent of the total)."

The question for those writing the report is, does Yazidi community fall under the 1+4 program standards?

"...Abkhazia de facto authorities continued policies that threatened the legal status of ethnic minorities, including Georgians, Armenians, Greeks, Roma and Syrians living in Abkhazia. The government continued to report discrimination against ethnic Georgians in Russian-occupied territories. The OOP continued to take into account the case of Tamar Mearakishvili, a South Ossetian activist who alleged harassment by the de facto authorities because of her Georgian nationality. According to the OOP, a series of criminal prosecutions against Mearakishvili were aimed at forcing her to leave the region.

Observers estimated that the Jewish community numbered no more than 6,000. As of year's end, an appeals court was awaiting a ruling on whether the 2018 murder in Tbilisi of Jewish and Yazidi human rights activist Vitaly Safarov was a hate crime. Human rights organizations argued that the two men responsible for the murder were members of a neo-Nazi group, and a key witness at trial testified that Safarov was killed because he was Jewish. In 2019, a Tbilisi city court found the two men guilty and sentenced them to 15 years in prison for Safarov's murder, but rejected qualifying the murder as a hate crime; the prosecutor appealed the court's decision not to classify the murder as a hate crime.

According to a March TDI report, unknown groups launched an anti-Semitic social media campaign against Vitaly Safarov's family. The family asked the police to investigate. According to the HRC, the Interior Ministry began collecting evidence, but did not launch an investigation, stating that the social media posts did not contain direct threats.

On February 28 the NGO "Israel House" became aware of a Nazi swastika drawn by unknown persons on the wall of a Jewish cemetery in Tbilisi. Representatives of Israel House reported the incident to the police. TDI reported two cases of anti-Semitic posts by clergymen of the Orthodox Church. In one such case in February, priest Giorgi Samsonadze accused "Jews with curls" of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Full report at the link www.state.gov/reports





Tags: #yazidisinfo   #humanrights   #georgiayazidis  



The US Department of State's annual report on the state of rights and freedoms in Georgia covered almost the entire spectrum of civil society

2023/03/54664-1679987676.jpg
Read: 3845     15:30     28 Март 2023    

Unfortunately, it should be noted that the problems of Yazidi community are not reflected in the report in any way, although there are a number of specific unresolved problems so far, which concern small peoples in Georgia such as Yazidis and Assyrians.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that there are provisions in the report with which it is important to familiarize civil society. The report notes that "the variety of statements promoting discrimination, of different vulnerable groups by politicians from year to year, shows that the state has not yet taken effective steps to reduce stereotypes and ensure equality between different groups... The media reported numerous cases of hate speech against minority groups during the year. In addition to political, civic, economic, and cultural obstacles, poor knowledge of the Georgian language remained a major obstacle to integration of the country's ethnic minorities. Some minorities claimed that the law, which requires "adequate command of the official language" to work as a state employee, excludes them from participation in government....

The report noted that the involvement of ethnic minorities in national decision-making processes remains a problem because of the small number of ethnic minority representatives in the central government....".

"...The government continued the 1+4 program for ethnic minorities to learn the Georgian language for one year before entering university. Under the quota system, the government allocated 12 percent of all bachelor's or higher degree seats to ethnic minority students. Of these reserved places, the ethnic Armenian and Azeri communities each received 40 per cent (5 per cent of the total), and the Ossetian and Abkhazian communities each received 10 per cent (1 per cent of the total)."

The question for those writing the report is, does Yazidi community fall under the 1+4 program standards?

"...Abkhazia de facto authorities continued policies that threatened the legal status of ethnic minorities, including Georgians, Armenians, Greeks, Roma and Syrians living in Abkhazia. The government continued to report discrimination against ethnic Georgians in Russian-occupied territories. The OOP continued to take into account the case of Tamar Mearakishvili, a South Ossetian activist who alleged harassment by the de facto authorities because of her Georgian nationality. According to the OOP, a series of criminal prosecutions against Mearakishvili were aimed at forcing her to leave the region.

Observers estimated that the Jewish community numbered no more than 6,000. As of year's end, an appeals court was awaiting a ruling on whether the 2018 murder in Tbilisi of Jewish and Yazidi human rights activist Vitaly Safarov was a hate crime. Human rights organizations argued that the two men responsible for the murder were members of a neo-Nazi group, and a key witness at trial testified that Safarov was killed because he was Jewish. In 2019, a Tbilisi city court found the two men guilty and sentenced them to 15 years in prison for Safarov's murder, but rejected qualifying the murder as a hate crime; the prosecutor appealed the court's decision not to classify the murder as a hate crime.

According to a March TDI report, unknown groups launched an anti-Semitic social media campaign against Vitaly Safarov's family. The family asked the police to investigate. According to the HRC, the Interior Ministry began collecting evidence, but did not launch an investigation, stating that the social media posts did not contain direct threats.

On February 28 the NGO "Israel House" became aware of a Nazi swastika drawn by unknown persons on the wall of a Jewish cemetery in Tbilisi. Representatives of Israel House reported the incident to the police. TDI reported two cases of anti-Semitic posts by clergymen of the Orthodox Church. In one such case in February, priest Giorgi Samsonadze accused "Jews with curls" of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Full report at the link www.state.gov/reports





Tags: #yazidisinfo   #humanrights   #georgiayazidis