Reports, facts and links regarding discrimination, intolerance, harassment and violence against ethnic Georgians in Russia (2006-2008 years)

1. Statement of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance on recent events affecting persons of Georgian origin in the Russian Federation (adopted on 15 December 2006 at ECRI’s 41st plenary meeting): http://alldifferent-allequal.info/node/414

2. Russia’s Detention and Expulsion of Georgians: Human Rights Watch, Official report, 78 pages, 09/30/2007. Contains information about the official campaign against Georgians in Russia: photocopies of official orders to target Georgians, Georgian workers, business of Georgians, children and students ethnically Georgians, cases of Arbitrary and Illegal Detention and Expulsion of Georgians: http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2007/09/30/singled-out

3. European Green Party resolution «Stop discrimination against Georgians in Russia» Geneva, 15th October, 2006: http://www.europeangreens.org/cms/default/dokbin/152/152736.discrimination_against_georgians_in_russ@en.pdf

4. CASE CONCERNING APPLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (GEORGIA v. RUSSIAN FEDERATION) 15 October 2008 http://www.rippmedia.com/Georgia%20v%20Russia.pdf

5. International Court of Justice Grants Georgia's Request to Order Russia to Stop Ethnic Cleansing – Oct, 17, 2008 - Tribunal's ruling requires Russia to end campaign of ethnic discrimination in disputed Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia; Law firm Foley Hoag represents Government of Georgia in ICJ case: http://pr.euractiv.com/?q=node/6268

6. UN Committee demands to halt increasing racial discrimination and violent practices against ethnic minorities in Russia - Following the review of Russia’s recent report, the Committee has made observations condemning the treatment of ethnic minorities, notably Roma, Africans, Georgian, Chechens and other persons originating from the Caucasus and Central Asia. 27 August 2008, http://www.fidh.org/_news.php3/IMG/article_PDF/IMG/pdf/plugins/thickbox2/spip.php?article5824

7. US Department of State: Quotes from “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” March 6, 2007 and March 11, 2008: “Following the September arrest of four Russian officers in Georgia, a diplomatic feud erupted, which resulted in an anti-Georgian campaign against the approximately one million Georgians who live in the country. Officially, the Georgians were deported for violations of migration legislation. Law enforcement officials were reportedly instructed to step up actions against Georgians. Other anti-Georgian actions included raids on Georgian businesses, police orders for schools to produce lists of Georgian students, and severed transportation and postal links.” http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78835.htm and http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100581.htm

8. NGO “Coalition Against Hate”, Nickolai Butkevitch: Russian Official Incites Fear of Ethnic Georgians, October 2008: http://www.coalitionagainsthate.org/2008/10/17/russian-official-incites-fear-of-ethnic-georgians

9. Russia Attacks Ethnic Georgians inside the Russian Federation: Russians encouraged by reports about “Georgian spies”, Extremist groups in Russia like the openly xenophobic Movement Against Illegal Immigration calls for “interning” or attacking Georgian neighborhoods, SOVA Human Rights Center has reported on some of these incidents. Article by Paul Goble August 14, 2008 http://virtualcollector.blogspot.com/2008/08/russians-attack-ethnic-georgians-inside.html

10. Georgia Calls on Russia to Stop Targeting Ethnic Georgians: The Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on October 24, 2006. http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=13939

11. The Jamestown Foundation, September 12, 2008, THE CYBER DIMENSION OF RUSSIA’S ATTACK ON GEORGIA http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=33936

12. Media Project Abkhazia ("Abkhazeti") under Cyber Attack http://www.media.ge/eng/news_detailed.php?id_numb=3502&&case=search&&tomark=

13. Russian Xenophobia Toward Georgians Grows. (by Masha Lipman, the editor of the Pro et Contra journal, published by Carnegie Moscow Center. Lipman is also an expert in the Civil Society Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center) http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/masha_lipman/2006/10/russian_xenophobia_toward_geor.html

14. Statement of Zurab Tchiaberashvili, Permanent Representative of Georgia to the Council of Europe at the 978th meeting of Minister's Deputies http://embassy.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1569&info_id=3833 (Quote: anti-Georgian campaign raging in the Russian Federation has claimed a human life. Mr Tengiz Togonidze, a citizen of Georgia, was denied medical attention during five days in detention despite his requests to see a doctor. He died at Domodedovo airport.)

15. Human Rights House: The level of xenophobia in Russia in 2008 http://humanrightshouse.org/Articles/8874.html (Quote: In August 2008, during a military conflict with Georgia the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (MAII) made a call to identify and internment citizens of Georgia in the territory of Russia, to initiate the verification of businesses owned by ethnic Georgians. Such lists of names began to emerge on the Internet. These actions the MAII did not attracted any attention of law enforcement agencies. Moreover, “Novaya Gazeta” in St. Petersburg received an «anti-extremist» warning which published an article expressed outrage such acts and declarations of the far right.)