ARMENIAN POPULATION’S RIGHTS WERE INFRINGED AT GEORGIAN LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS, REPRESENTATIVES OF MITK ANALYTICAL CENTER CONSIDER

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 9 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian population’s rights were
infringed at the October 5 elections of local self-government bodies
(sakrebulos) in Georgia. Kadmos Balakhchian, analyst of the Mitk
Youth Analytical Center, declared at the October 9 press conference.

In his words, "the Georgian managed to artificially decrease the
possibility of Armenians’ election in order to reduce the number of
Armenian deputies at local sakrebulos." According to his observation,
4-5 Armenian villages together were given the right to nominate one
candidate, while each Georgian village nominated one candidate.

In the words of K.Balakhchian and another expert, Eduard Abrahamian,
"the Georgian authorities do everything possible to change the
ethnic picture of Javakhk abd Tsalka region, by settling Georgians
and Meskhetian Turks there." As a result of such Georgian policy,
as the speakers affirm, the number of Armenians has abruptly reduced
in Akhaltskha over the past 30-40 years.

In K.Balakhchian’s words, other artificial obstacles are also created
for Armenians living in Georgia. For instance, employees of all state
institutions are dismissed on the pretext of not knowing the Georgian
language. "Even at Armenian schools they compel to do the clerical
work in Georgian, which is indamissible," the analyst of Mitk said.