The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution on the occupied territories of Georgia
On 1 April 2022, in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the Occupied Territories of Georgia - "Cooperation with Georgia."
The resolution of Georgia was presented by the First Deputy Foreign Minister, Lasha Darsalia at the Council session. In his speech, he spoke about the difficult humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. He noted that despite the direct call of the Human Rights Council and the efforts of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Russian occupation forces continue to prevent the Office of the High Commissioner and other international human rights monitoring mechanisms from entering Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
The First Deputy Foreign Minister once again underlined the decision of the European Court of Human Rights of 21 January 2021 - Georgia v. Russia - which confirms the occupation of Georgian territories by Russia and its effective control over them.
In his speech Lasha Darsalia underlined that Russia's pattern of behaviour towards its neighbors remains unchanged. Georgia experienced Russia’s full-scale military aggression in 2008. Recent announcement on conduction of so-called referendum in the occupied South Ossetia on unification with RF is yet another demonstration of continues aggressive policy vis a vis Georgia. This pattern of behavior brazenly undermines the entire international rules-based order and poses grave threat to regional and global peace and security.
The First Deputy Minister reviewed the latest report of the High Commissioner, which reflects the grave humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali and the gross human rights violations experienced by the conflict-affected population in both regions, including various forms of discrimination based on ethnicity, and violation of property rights, restriction of movement and education in the mother tongue.
Lasha Darsalia noted that the report provides facts about the killing of ethnic Georgians in 2014-2019 and emphasizes that the failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of the crimes contributes to strengthening the sense of impunity in the occupied regions. He also spoke about illegal cases of deprivation of liberty and noted that Georgian citizens are still illegally held captive by the occupation regime. At the same time, he stressed the need for the international community to work for their release.
According to the First Deputy Minister, the dire humanitarian situation in the occupied territories of Georgia clearly indicates the need for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international human rights monitoring mechanisms to get access to the occupied regions of Georgia.
During the discussion of the resolution initiated by the Georgian side, statements of support were made by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Finland, and Lithuania. In its resolution adopted on 1 April, the Human Rights Council reaffirmed its support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
In its resolution, the Human Rights Council expresses serious concern also at various forms of reported discrimination against ethnic Georgians, violations of the right to life, deprivation of liberty, arbitrary detentions and kidnappings, infringements of the right to property, violations of the right to health, restrictions on education in one’s native language in both Georgian regions, and the continued practice of demolition of the ruins of houses belonging to internally displaced persons in the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, refusal of medical evacuations that led to the deaths of people and further isolation of the regions. The Resolution maintains that the increasing restrictions on free movement in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic further exacerbated the humanitarian, social and economic situation on the ground and had particularly harmful effects on women’s and girls' rights.
The Resolution also expresses serious concern at the continuous process of installation and advancement of barbed wire fences and different artificial barriers along the administrative boundary line in Abkhazia, Georgia and Tskhinvali region, Georgia and adjacent areas.
The Resolution underlines the importance of the Geneva International Discussions established on the basis of the ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008.
It is noteworthy that the resolution refers to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights of 21 January 2021, which claims that Russia is legally responsible for violations of international law and fundamental human rights during and after the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008, and for the occupation and effective control over Georgian territories.
The resolution condemns the so-called Parliamentary elections in the occupied region of Abkhazia on 12 March 2022 and so-called presidential elections scheduled for April of this year in the occupied region of Tskhinvali.
The UN Human Rights Council expresses serious concern at the repeated denial of access to international and regional monitors, including United Nations human rights mechanisms to both Georgian
regions by those in control of those regions and calls for immediate and unimpeded access to be given to the Office of the High Commissioner and international and regional human rights mechanisms to Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia.
The UN Human Rights Council requests the High Commissioner to present to the Human Rights Council an oral update on the follow-up to the present resolution and to present a written report on developments relating to and the implementation of the present resolution at its at its 50th and 51st sessions.
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Georgia and the EU hold annual Human Rights Dialogue
On 22 June in Brussels, the EU and Georgia held the 15th round of the annual Human Rights Dialogue.
Participants exchanged views on the human rights situation in Georgia and on recent developments in the promotion and protection of democracy and human rights since the last dialogue in July 2021.
The Georgian delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Teimuraz Gianjalia, and the EU delegation was led by Richard Tibbels, from the European External Action Service. The EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, also participated in the meeting.
The next EU-Georgia human rights dialogue is planned to take place in Tbilisi in 2023.
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GLOBALink | UN rights body should serve as platform for cooperation, dialogue: Chinese diplomat
GENEVA, JUNE 15 (Xinhua) -- Multilateral human rights mechanisms should serve as a platform for cooperation and dialogue, rather than a venue for division and confrontation, China's permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva Chen Xu said on Tuesday.
Chen told the ongoing 50th session of Human Rights Council that in recent years, "the Human Rights Council has become increasingly politicized and confrontational, and disinformation has become rampant, which seriously runs counter to the original purpose of the Human Rights Council."
Chen said that all parties should promote multilateralism in the field of human rights, uphold the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization, and jointly promote the sound development of the international human rights cause.
"Multilateral human rights mechanisms should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, promote the common values of humanity, and oppose the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights issues, double standards, as well as interference in the internal affairs of member states under the pretext of human rights," he noted.
He added that solidarity needs to be strengthened, while constructive dialogue and cooperation be carried out on the basis of equality and mutual respect.
"We should make efforts to expand common understanding, reduce differences, promote mutual learning and seek progress together," he said.
He told the Council that multilateral human rights mechanisms also need to work on the basis of authentic and objective information, respect the sovereignty of States and the human rights development path chosen by each country in light of its national conditions, and provide technical assistance with the consent of the countries concerned.
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Produced by Xinhua Global Service
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Charity Evening «NOW»
NOW is an association of artists from different countries who have gathered to host a charity event in support of Ukraine. The event will present different areas of anti-war art: actionism, performance art, audiovisual art, music, cinema. During the war, we, the artists, must continue to speak the language that is available to us — the language of art. Also we will conduct the auction, where everyone can buy anti-war art, all the proceeds from sales will also go to charity.
Exhibition would be curated by patron of the art Ria Keburia, performance art — by poet and performer Andro Dadiani, photography section — by Elene Glonti.
The event will represent many different kinds of art:
- Salome Jashi and Tornike Bziava participate in the short movie screening
- Performance by artists from Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Turkmenistan and Russia
- Musicians Sandro Bibich & Nodariko Khutsishvili & Zuka Simonishvili & Dato Kakulia will also perform on the event
- Experimental music by Tornike
A fixed donation of 25 GEL will be set at the entrance. All collected donations will be divided between partner funds: Helping to leave, Paliashvili 60 and Library About Georgia. ⅔ amounts will be sent to help Ukraine and its residents, ⅓ funds will be transferred to help Georgian refugees.
Main point of our festival that we want to spread the word about:
- Art is political.
- We are standing for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
- We are for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Georgia and for the complete de-occupation of Georgia. Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region are territories of Georgia.
- We are against dictatorship in any form.
- We are against any discrimination, xenophobia and violence.
- Freedom for all political prisoners!
Location: Hermitspace (1 Vasil Petriashvili Street, Tbilisi)
Date: 4th of June 17:30-01:00
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Issues of developing partnership in Central Asia in the field of healthcare were discussed in Geneva
A meeting of the Ministers of Health of the Central Asian countries was held in the building of the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the UN Office in Geneva, with the participation of Dr. Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization.
High government delegations from the countries of Central Asia took part in the meeting.
During the meeting, specific issues and areas of cooperation were discussed, including the development and promotion of the One Health concept in the Central Asian region, regional initiatives of the countries of Central Asia in the field of health, and the Roadmap for Health and Well-Being in Central Asia 2022-2025.
Hans Kluge, Head of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, expressed support for Central Asia as a priority region, including in the joint development and implementation of the Roadmap for Health and Well-Being in Central Asia 2022–2025.
It is assumed that the leaders of Central Asia will approve the Roadmap, which includes a large health component.
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The Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia on the so-called presidential elections in the occupied Tskhinvali region
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia refers to the so-called second tour of presidential elections held on 8 May 2022 in Tskhinvali region occupied by the Russian Federation and condemns this illegal action that contradicts the fundamental principles and norms of international law and blatantly violates Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
Under the Russian occupation and effective control any so-called elections will not have legal consequences, in the circumstance when hundreds of thousands of IDPs and refugees expelled from their homes as a result of ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions are still hampered to safe and dignified return home, and fundamental rights and freedoms of people on the ground are blatantly violated. Effective control of the Russian Federation over Georgia’s occupied regions and its responsibility for the violations of human rights on the ground are clearly attested in the Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 21 January, 2021.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia calls on the Russian Federation to respect Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and implement its international obligations, inter alia the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia appeals to the international community to duly assess and react on the actions directed against sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.MFA of Georgia
