Tamar Tchitanava Counsellor, Missionof Georgia

Statementby the Delegation Georgia of 30 October 2006 Items 67 (b) and (c)

M r .C h a i r m a n , Distinguished colleagues, The Governmentof Georgia strongly believes that full implementation human rights of instrumentsis essentialfor the universalpromotionand protectionof human rights.Today, I would like to briefly note some of the achievements well as challenges my Lountryin inis as for domain: This year, in the view of protection and promotionof human rights,the main priorities the of GeorgianGovernment the reformsof the judiciary, are law enforcement and penitentiary systems as well as adaptationof national legislationfor effective implementation human rights of mechanismsand instruments. These reforms are aimed at strengthening the right to fair tlial, independenceof judiciary and impartialityof the court. The codes of ethiis for judges, prosecutors and law enforcement bodies are adopted.At the same time, combatingcorruption has become the nationalpriorityand many publicofficials accusedof corruption were broughtto criminal responsibility punished conformity and in withcourtdecisions. Also, the reformsaimed at increasing confidence-building measures among the generalpublic are unden,uay the law enforcement for bodies. lt is important that with the view of the visit to Georgia of the UN Special Rapporteuron Torture in 2005 and implementations his of recommendations severalcriminalcases were initiated the facts of tortureand ill{reatment, on judgmentswere passed againstlaw enforcement officersand all of them were imprisoned. At presentthe Parliament works on draftingthe new ActionPlanon Combating Torture. After adoptionof the Anti-Trafficking an increased Law numberof traffickers has been broughtto criminal liability punished. and Through thesemeasures Georgia was transferred the groupof into countriesthat made considerable steps to fight against this form of trans-national organized cnme. I have to mentionconsiderable progressin protecting the rights of minoritiesand freedom of religionand belief.The efficient stepswere undertaken fightagainstreligion-based to intolerance, investigation connectionwith religious intolerance in and related crimes was instituted, perpetrators were brought the court and sentenced varioustermsof imprisonment. to to Furthermore, November2005, the Parliament Georgiaapprovedthe Conceptof Civil in of Integration Georgia in whichis aimedat achieving moreactiveinvolvement national of minorities permanently residing Georgia, in especially placesof theirdensesettlement, all spheres in in of political, economical cultural The Framework and life. Convention the Council Europe the of of for Protectionof NationalMinoritieshas been ratifiedand interstate proceduresare under way in orderto sign and ratify European charterfor Regional Minority or Languages. Regrettably, whileGeorgia applies everypossible meansat handto reintegrate the Georgian into civilsocietyall nationalities residing its territory, humanrightsof Georgians on the livingon the territoryof the RussianFederation are gravely violated.The GeorgianGoveinmenthas made

amarTchitanava Counsellor, Mission Georgia of clear its positionon this issue to the international communitv. Therefore, here we will not elaborate these violations on although. once again call on ihe RussianFederation we and the whole international community stop such conductand to protectthe rightsof the Georgian to migrants. Distinguished lleagues, Co Discussion human rightssituation Georgiawill not be complete on in withoutconsidering the situation Tskhinvali in Region/South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia whereabout250 000 people were expelledfrom their birthplaces. Ethniccleansingand genocidewas conductedagainst Georgians, also othernationalities but were forcedto flee the territories these regions. of Here we would like to one again expressour appreciation the SpecialRapporteur Torture to on and to the Special Representative HumanRights IDPwho recently on of visited Georgia including the conflictzones.They once again underlined extremely the difficult situation thosezones and in urged the de facto authorities Abkhaziato refrainfrom adoptingmeasuresincompatible in with international human rights standards.lt is very importantthat the Special Representative on Human Rightsof IDP urgedthem to wave the discriminatory legislation regarding acquisition the of "citizenship", admit UnitedNationscivilian to policewithoutfurtherdelayand to cooperate in the establishment a permanent of international human rightsofficein Gali,as repeatedly urgedby the SecurityCouncil,but regrettably stubbornly is refusedby the separatist regime. As vigorousviolations human rightsproceeded UN HumanRightsOfficewas established of the in Sokhumi. started lt operating with a gratedelayin 1999 but yet it has not achieved any tangible results in implementing tasks vested on it. The very recentexample is inabilityto urge the Ae facfoauthorities providean urgentmedicaltreatment a Georgian to prisoner Drandaisolator. to of The situation with regardof human rightsremainsextremely precarious the conflictzones,and in particularly the Gali districtpopulated in mainlyby Georgians. Most of the grave violations of basichumanrightshappenin the zone of responsibility Russian of Peacekeepers, are doing who virtually nothing prevent confront to or them. Another notoriousact that has particularrelevanceto the UN LiteracyDecade, is the cultural genocideconductedby the Abkhaz side - Georgianlanguage bannedas the languageof is instructions schoolsin Gali. Georgianliterature, in geography history, and other subjecti are restricted. The separatist regimeforceschildren studyon non-native, to Russian, language. The schoolsare burnt,teachersand studentsare killedif despitethe restrictions they teach/study in Georgian. M r .C h a i r m a n , We are confident that the more decisivestepsare neededto addressall the issuesnoted above. Strong actions from the international community,United Nations and other international organizations of the utmost importance. are We must exert every possibility hand and joinily at solvetheseproblems T h a n ky o u

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