Open Letter to International Human Rights Organizations in Support of Georgian Refugees from Abkhazi

Open Letter to International Human Rights Organizations in Support of Georgian Refugees from Abkhazia and South Ossetia

April 11, 2011

We, former inhabitants of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, having become citizens of Georgia, appeal to all existing human rights organizations and the whole world community for aid.
We sue for your involvement in our troubles, ask for putting a stop to outrages, committed by Georgian authorities towards us; and seek your assistance in doing away with current violation of our civil liberties and in preventing future genocide of this country’s citizens.
Through radical decisions and acts current Georgian President and his government created outlaw status for us. In fact, the ruling regime crossed our names off the list of this country’s citizens now. Today local authorities practically launch us on the street besides we have really inhuman living conditions here. We live in former institutes, factories, plants or health stations, and now Georgian authorities offer us "wide variety of places" for in-migration to even more depressive areas in Georgia. There are no hospitals, schools and even jobs for us. Thus, actually we turn into migrants for the second time, becoming refugees in own country.
What a thing to say about democratic loyalty of current Georgian leadership after its gross violation of the very principles of democracy! Instead of providing worthy living conditions for our people the leading statesmen pursue internal policy that is comparable to Nazi actions during World War II. We have to live not only out of doors, but also practically in restricted areas!
We forfeit our right to work, because under various cover-ups local authorities refuse to employ us here. Sometimes, it is enough to our employers to know that we are refugees in order to say no then.
Since we regularly emigrate from place to place, our children have no opportunity to learn well, to be educated as well as their equals in age, the fate of whose families is not so tragic. And all that happens in so-called democratic Georgia!
Not finding support and understanding on the part of current President and government of Georgia most refugees have to seek sanctuary in Russia, USA, Germany or France. Only there we can find worthy living conditions for us and our children.
We can’t bear this victimization and inhuman experiments on us any longer. We tried to conduct straight and plain dialogue in order to get our problems and hopes across the power, but nobody wanted to hear and understand us. Moreover, some of our peace actions were broken up by security officials; our leaders suffered cruel persecutions and met with direct threats. Now Georgian special services persecute those refugees, who take active stand in life.
In all this plain political background is seen. Saakashvili’s regime has refugees’ problem to achieve own ends: while tens of thousands people have injurious living conditions, the country’s leadership can exploit them as own best card in the struggle against former autonomies, besides embezzling millions of dollars from annual humanitarian aid that international community grant to us, Georgian refugees. Indeed, if the problem is solved in a varying degree, Tbilisi will lose this best card, and soon no further reference to Georgian territorial claims will be made in the world.
Thus, today nobody wants to solve refugees’ problem in Georgia. And just because of it we appeal to you for aid. We see our protectors and guarantors of our rights and security in you.
We call upon leaders and all members of international human rights organizations to condemn activities of current Georgian authorities towards own citizens. We are persuaded that Saakashvili must incur responsibility for his crimes, for harmless people’s tears, pain and suffering.


Important Notice:
1. This letter has been sent to the email of the UN Human Rights Council, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Moscow Helsinki Group, Amnesty International, UNESCO, Human Rights Watch and the Commissioner for Human Rights (Council of Europe).
2. 1725 people have signed this letter (the list is attached)