HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE THE COUNCIL'S ATTENTION

The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its general debate on human rights situations that require the attention of the Council, in which speakers raised the situation of human rights violations in a number of countries.

Speaking in the general debate were Algeria, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, Slovenia, Iran, Croatia, Netherlands, Ireland, United Kingdom, Somalia on behalf of 40 countries, Slovakia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Belarus.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea took the floor, together with the following non-governmental organizations: American Association of Jurists; France Libertés; International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations; Society for Threatened People; Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network; Human Rights House Foundation; Ligue internationale contre le racisme et l'antiracisme et l'antisémitisme; Asian Legal Resource Centre; Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty; Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights; International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism; Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network; Centrist Democratic International; Regional Centre for Human Rights and Gender Justice “Corporacion Humanas”; Reporters Without Borders International; Physicians for Human Rights; Democracy Coalition Project; Lawyer's Rights Watch Canada; Islamic Human Rights Commission; International Commission of Jurists; Freedom House; Organisation pour la Communication en Afrique et de Promotion de la Cooperation Economique Internationale; Human Rights Watch; World Alliance for Citizen Participation; Organization for Defending Victims of Violence; Union of Arab Jurists; Jubilee Campaign; International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations; Rencontre Africaine pour la Defense des Droits de l'Homme; Iranian Elite Research Centre; and the United Nations Watch.

Speaking in a right of reply were Venezuela, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, China, Belarus, Sudan, Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Ethiopia, Japan, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Iran, Sri Lanka, the Russian Federation, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Georgia also spoke in a second right of reply.

The Council will meet on Wednesday, 14 March at 9 a.m. to resume the general debate on human rights situations that require its attention and then start an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on minority issues.

General Debate on Human Rights Situations that Require the Council's Attention

Algeria said that country mandates could only be effective if carried out with the consent of the country, with the exception of extreme cases. The question of the Western Sahara had several dimensions, the political, humanitarian, and human rights, which fell within the mandate of the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Algeria appealed that this dimension be taken into consideration.

France said that Damascus continued to commit atrocities and it was crucial that the Council remained mobilized on this situation and vigorously denounced human rights violations committed by the regime. The human rights situation in Iran had reached unbearable levels with the number of executions on the increase, including executions of juveniles. France also drew the attention of the Council to human rights violations in Sri Lanka and China.

Germany followed closely the developments in Bahrain and the implementation of the recommendations of the Bassiouni Commission. The human rights situation in Belarus continued to deteriorate while the Government ignored the calls of the international community to address the situation. Belarus must immediately release and rehabilitate political prisoners and cooperate with the Human Rights Council. Germany was worried about the increasingly restrictive environment for human rights defenders in many countries, especially in Eritrea. China was another country where repression was causing concern to Germany.

Australia remained deeply concerned that Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report did not fully address alleged violations of accountability. In Fiji, regime decrees continued to limit freedom of assembly, association, and religion and imposed media censorship. Australia remained concerned by ongoing border disputes between Sudan and South Sudan. The Council should retain its focus on those suffering from natural disaster and famine, including the humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa.

Japan said too often a forced dichotomy was created between the universality of human rights and the cultural, social or religious elements underpinning a human rights situation in a national context. Japan had worked quietly with the Government of Sri Lanka so the country could forge the best path to national peace and reconciliation. The Government should implement the many good recommendations found in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report as well as maintain an open dialogue on the human rights situation in the country.

Canada was deeply concerned that the underlying sources of conflict in Sri Lanka remained largely unaddressed. The report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission had yet to fully address accountability for events that took place in the final phase of the conflict. The large number of political prisoners in Belarus and reports of ongoing subjugation of the political opposition, civil society and the independent media were of serious concern. Iran continued to blatantly disregard its commitments and obligations to civil and political rights under international law, as well as its own domestic law.

Slovenia said gross human rights violations had occurred against the civilian population in Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile. Ongoing human rights violations in Eritrea included arbitrary detention, torture, inhumane conditions of confinement, and restrictions on freedom of speech.

Iran said that discrimination on the basis of religion, race and ethnicity in some European Union Member States had been on a steady rise in the past several years. In the United States the Government had not closed the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and human rights were continually violated as evidenced by the brutal crackdown on the occupy wall street movement and the establishment of secret detention centres in various parts of the world.

Croatia said the international community should speak with one voice on the crisis in Syria and called upon the Syrian authorities to cooperate fully with the investigations to ensure full accountability. Croatia urged the implementation of the Commission of Inquiry's recommendations on Libya.

Netherlands was greatly concerned by violence in Bahrain and in Yemen, and called on the Yemeni Government to peacefully complete the transition process. The Netherlands was deeply concerned about the suffering caused by the armed conflict and restricted humanitarian access to Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. South Sudan had an obligation to protect all its civilians during intercommunal and tribal violence and the Netherlands stressed the need for South Sudan to foster a culture of transparency and accountability.

Ireland was seriously concerned about the ongoing armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in Somalia and about the reports of human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Zimbabwe, Ireland called for respect of the rule of law, and protection of the space for civil society and human rights defenders. In Syria, widespread and systematic human rights violations were being committed by the Government forces. In the last year, Tunisia and Egypt had carried out successful free and fair parliamentary elections, with Libya to follow.

United Kingdom raised concerns about the human rights situation in Myanmar, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The United Kingdom continued to support discussions on Sri Lanka in this Council which continued to experience serious human rights issues. The United Kingdom called on China to safeguard the civil and political rights of its people. The ongoing human rights violations in Zimbabwe were another matter of concern and the United Kingdom encouraged the Government there to implement the recommendations from its Universal Periodic Review process in October 2011.

Somalia, in a joint statement on behalf of 40 countries, said the Government of Eritrea had never held national elections, did not allow independent media or international non-governmental organizations to operate, and severely restricted freedom of religion and belief. Many people continued to flee the country to avoid forceful conscription. Somalia called on the Government of Eritrea to end its use of arbitrary detention and torture, provide relevant information on the whereabouts of detained persons, grant United Nations Special Procedures access and fulfill their international obligations. Somalia invited the High Commissioner to brief the Council on the ongoing human rights violations in Eritrea at the twentieth session of the Council.

Slovakia deplored the downward trend in the human rights situation in Belarus which had evolved after the December 2010 presidential elections. Opposition political activists and others had been subjected to severe treatment and persecution. Of serious concern was the reported occurrence of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Slovakia called on the Government of Belarus to release immediately and unconditionally all prisoners of conscience, restoring fully their basic rights.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea said the United States and other Western countries were waging several wars based on the pretext of the war on terror, resulting in many human rights violations. In many Western countries, racism, xenophobia, discrimination of immigrants and minorities, incitement of hatred and defamation of religion were increasing one after another. Japan had militarily occupied Korea and inflicted immeasurable pain and misfortune on the Korean people, including forcible drafting and abduction of 8.4 million Korean people, massacres and the military sexual slavery of 200,000 women.

Belarus said the attention of the Council should be drawn to the deteriorating human rights situation in the United States and Member States of the European Union. Belarus condemned the use of harsh measures by the police against the occupy movement protestors in Europe and the United States and noted that when other countries used force against demonstrators then the United States and European States criticised them and referred to them as human rights defenders.

National Human Rights Commission of Korea expressed its deep concern about the forced repatriation of defectors from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The forced repatriation had not respected the principle of non-refoulement.

American Association of Jurists said that concerning the five Cuban citizens who were sentenced to prison in the United States, the Working Group on arbitrary detention had ruled they had been arbitrarily detained. The President of the United States should exercise his executive power to release these Cubans.

France Libertés, in a joint statement, expressed concern about the silence surrounding Camp Ashraf and its upcoming closure. The non-governmental organizations insisted that free access be provided to United Nations agencies and journalists.

International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations drew the attention of the Council to the situation in the Western Sahara and said that the Security Council had highlighted in its recent resolution the need to improve the human rights situation there and in camp Tindouf.

Society for Threatened People, in a joint statement, said there were many countries that denied basic rights to their people, including China, where series of self-immolations were taking place.

Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network said that States that opposed structural violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should suspend all moves to introduce legislation that criminalized sexuality and gender identity.

Human Rights House Foundation, in a joint statement, urged Azerbaijan to fully respect the right to freedom of association and immediately and unconditionally reopen the Azerbaijan Human Rights House.

Ligue Internationale contre le racisme et l'antiracisme et l'antisemitisme said that in 2009 a 42 year old Pakistani women of Christian belief, Asia Bibi, was accused of blasphemy for contaminating drinking water that could not be used by other Muslim women and faced the death penalty.

Asian Legal Resource Centre highlighted the increased efforts of States to engineer systems of impunity and to undermine work to protect human rights in the Asian region, including in Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty said that the controls over religion in the Muslim-majority Uyghur Autonomous Region remained among the harshest in China and curbs over religious practice had dramatically increased in the course of the past year.

Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights said that in recent years the Chinese authorities had denied Tibetans their voice in determining how their land was used, while enjoyment of the right to cultural heritage and development was restricted.

International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism asked whether any state actors were able to address accountability and bring justice to victims of human rights violations in Sri Lanka. There was racism in the judiciary in Japan.

Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network informed the Council of the case of Mr. Nyima, future reincarnate of the Dalai Lama, who had disappeared 16 years ago when he was six years old. While Chinese authorities had admitted to taking him, they refused to divulge any information about his whereabouts.

Centrist Democratic International said Nestor Rodriguez Lovian spent more than 10 years suffering inhuman treatment in a Cuban prison. He was kept in isolated confinement, naked in a cold cell and had to resort to hunger strikes. In Cuba, there was a system of wiping out whoever called for democratic change.

Regional Centre for Human Rights and Gender Justice “Corporacion Humanas” called the attention of the Council to the situation in Honduras. After the coup in 2009, human rights had deteriorated. There could be no protection of human rights without strong institutions for doing so.

Reporters Without Borders International said Iran held the largest number of journalists in prison in the world. Reporters Without Borders condemned the serious violations of Iran against information professionals and human rights defenders and drew the attention of the Council to the deplorable conditions of detention.

Physicians for Human Rights said that he was Kamiar Alaei, an Iranian physician detained in 2008 without cause and who, with his brother had spent two years in prison in Iran. He called on the Human Rights Council to express clear support for the rights of hundreds of political prisoners in Iran.

Democracy Coalition Project said since 2009, more than 20,000 citizens had been arrested for their peaceful dissent in Iran and more than 1,500 had been executed. There should be an extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Iran.

Lawyer's Rights Watch Canada said the Council should ensure justice for Canadian citizen Omar Khadr, illegally imprisoned first at Bagram and then in Guantanamo Bay by the United States since his July 2002 capture at age 15.

Islamic Human Rights Commission said at least six people had died under torture and hundreds had been subjected to systematic torture in Bahrain. The Government had refused a visit by the Special Rapporteur on torture and had imposed prohibitive conditions on human rights non-governmental organizations.

International Commission of Jurists welcomed the initiative by the United States to introduce a draft resolution on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. The Council had to remain actively seized of the matter to ensure action, not just words. It was critical that the initiative received wide support by the Council.

Freedom House said she was Hadeel Kourki, a human rights victim of President Bashar Al-Assad. She had distributed leaflets calling on Syrians to march peacefully in the name of freedom. She had been arrested and brutally tortured by security forces. The people of Syria deserved to live in a free, tolerant and democratic Syria.

Organisation pour la Communication en Africque et de Promotion et la Cooperation Economique Internationale said the Moroccan autonomy proposal for the Sahara region was an example of a negotiated and innovative approach to conflict settlement that would allow the population to manage its own affairs.

Human Rights Watch said that the Supreme Armed Forces of Egypt had failed to address several serious human rights problems in the country. Since 2011, the military Government had referred more than 12,000 civilians to military tribunals, including children as young as 15.

World Alliance for Citizen Participation said that 2011 remained one of the deadliest years for civil society activists in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Bolivia and appealed to the Human Rights Council to examine cases of attacks against human rights defenders in those countries.

Organization for Defending Victims of Violence said in country reports there was no room for careful analysis of the issues. Attention to the positive human rights conditions and the efforts of non-governmental organizations in this regard were all but ignored. The Council should take steps to reduce this shortfall and encourage Rapporteurs to consider strengths and weaknesses simultaneously.

Union of Arab Jurists recalled the overriding principle of the United Nations of safeguarding peace and security, strengthening ties between countries and achieving international agreements. Actions related to Syria went counter to the principles of the United Nations Charter. Foreign actors had launched propaganda campaigns and supported terrorists groups, such as Al-Qaeda in Syria.

Jubilee Campaign, in a joint statement, called on the Council to address Eritrea's widespread and systematic human rights violations. Repression for dissent, however benign, was severe. It was long overdue that the Council addressed these human rights violations and it should mandate a Special Procedure on Eritrea.

International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations said that the right to self-determination was enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the promise had been made to the people of the Jammu Kashmir for a free and fair plebiscite. Instead, the people there continued to suffer the worst kind of human rights violations.

Rencontre Africaine pour la Defense des Droits de l'homme was worried about the deterioration of the human rights situation in the north of Mali where the army was confronted with the rebel movement. The situation of many refugees in Afghanistan was of particular concern, as was the use of the death penalty in Iran.

Iranian Elite Research Centre said that the report of the Special Rapporteur on Iran was not based on truth and was limited to statements from non-governmental organizations based outside of the country. The Iranian Elite Research Centre expected more open and transparent process in this Council.

United Nations Watch said he was Maikel Nabil Sanad, a prisoner of conscience in his country, Egypt, with over 302 days of suffering and pain. After asking to conscientiously object to military service, Mr. Sanad was arrested and was beaten and sexually harassed. He was released according to a military pardon – they never admitted it was sham.

Right of Reply

Venezuela, speaking in a right of reply, said the United States had appointed itself as an international judge and was involved in an imperialist campaign to discredit Venezuela. It had spoken of alleged restrictions on society related to freedom of expression. Venezuela enjoyed more rights than ever. This should not concern the United States and its dark interests. The United States continued to punish five Cubans who had been fighting terrorism. Venezuela was stigmatized by religious cults that it believed were backed by the United States. In so-called preventive wars, the United States had invaded sovereign countries and murdered many people, which they called collateral damage. Venezuela called on the Government of the United States to stop its policy of harassing countries like Venezuela.

Egypt, speaking in a right of reply, said it was unfair that the European Union and other countries said that the Government of Egypt was taking measures to restrict the activities of civil society in the country. The revolution arrived precisely to protect human rights and promote democracy, which could only be achieved with genuine cooperation between the Government and civil society. In 2011, 4,500 non-governmental organizations had emerged. Egypt had laws and legislation that regulated society in an atmosphere of accountability and responsibility. Non-governmental organizations had been working without licenses or registration. This topic was dealt with at length by the transitional authority, without any intervention by the Government. Partners should give consideration to that fact and appreciate Egypt's willingness to provide the necessary information related to the cases mentioned.

Azerbaijan, speaking in a right of reply, said that there were no political prisoners in Azerbaijan and the criteria defining political prisoners should be first defined. Azerbaijan did not recognise the mandate mentioned in the European Union's statement and therefore could extend no invitation to that mandate. There was no restriction to the work of non-governmental organizations in Azerbaijan. The Government had made its utmost effort to ensure freedom for the media and there were more than 3,500 media outlets. There were no restrictions on the use of the Internet. Instead of making inaccurate remarks about Azerbaijan, Norway should focus on the implementation of the recommendations concerning the Sami people arising from the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people.

Uzbekistan, speaking in a right of reply, said that the statements of the European Union and Norway were politically motivated. Clear violations of human rights were happening in the European Union countries that required the focus of the Council. There was animosity with regard to foreigners in Denmark and Uzbekistan believed that the comments of Denmark were unfounded and not in the spirit of the agenda item on human rights situations that require the attention of the Council. The measures undertaken by the Government of Uzbekistan were evidence of its commitment to implement the Convention against Torture and the National Action Plan contained more than 60 measures to that effect.

Eritrea, speaking in a right of reply, said that all countries needed to work towards the full enjoyment of the human rights of their people. It was also true for Eritrea, but there was no need for confrontation. Some countries were trying to distort facts on the ground to spoil the picture of Eritrea. The Universal Periodic Review was the most appropriate mechanism to examine human rights in countries. The countries calling for sanctions against Eritrea were contemplating regime change. Eritrea was laying the ground for the improvement of the economic, social and cultural rights of its people and was committed to engage with the Human Rights Council in a spirit of cooperation.

China, speaking in a right of reply, said it firmly rejected the groundless accusations launched against China. The Government fully protected the freedom of expression and belief and its citizens could freely use the internet to communicate with others all over the world. The Government pursued a policy of safeguarding peaceful harmony and coexistence among all ethnic minorities. The causes of self-immolation in the Tibetan self-autonomous region were complex; some were incited from forces outside the country who wanted to create instability and some were extreme acts by individuals. China said that these acts of self violence should be strongly condemned and resisted.

Belarus, speaking in a right of reply, said that the statements by Member States of the European Union had betrayed the real human rights situation in Belarus and urged Hungary, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic to first consider how to resolve their own problems before criticizing others. Belarus noted violations of children's rights that had occurred in Norway where the social services had removed children from their own homes and forcibly separated them from their parents. In Slovakia, the police had used tear gas and truncheons against demonstrators on the streets. In Hungary, there were problems with the regular activities of ultra right wing parties and Belarus asked the Government of Hungary what measures it had applied against these parties.

Sudan, speaking in a right of reply, said that in the past few months Sudan had witnessed the return of refugees and internally displaced citizens and the start of positive development projects. There had been no new acts of violence in the Blue Nile state and the main dam in the city was being rehabilitated to bolster development. Concerning South Kordofan, the Sudanese Government had declared a cease fire; however, the good will intentions of the Government had not been met with a positive response and there were continued attempts to undermine stability. Sudan said that American soldiers had committed human rights violations in Afghanistan and urged the United States to consider their own human rights record before criticizing other countries.

Bahrain, speaking in a right of reply, said that Bahrain had faced major challenges and the recent events had destabilized the country. The Government was working hard to make the wounds heal and it had quickly acted to create an independent Commission to investigate those human rights violations. Bahrain had ensured that a wide range of representatives had taken part in this process. All 26 recommendations of the Commission had been accepted by the Government without any reservation. There was an independent audit office in the Office of the Prosecutor to look into all cases of alleged violence. Those who had suffered violations would receive compensation.

Turkmenistan, speaking in a right of reply, said that the new version of the Constitution had been adopted in 2008 and more that 50 amendments had been incorporated to align it with the international instruments to which Turkmenistan had acceded. The Government continued with the creation of a society that fully responded to the needs of its citizens; democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms were the most important tasks. The new Criminal Code had been adopted in 2010, which lowered the maximum prison sentence. A number of projects had been carried out with the International Committee of the Red Cross including training in international humanitarian law and on the penitentiary system. The Inter-agency Commission on the implementation of international obligations of Turkmenistan had been created.

Georgia, speaking in a right of reply, said that the Government strongly disagreed with both the terminology and content of the statement made by the Russian Federation concerning repatriation of individuals that the Russian Federation referred to as “Meskhetian Turks”. The terms used by the Russian Federation to describe the forcefully deported persons by the Soviet Union in the 1940s were inaccurate and sidelined the international principle of self-identification. Georgia was committed to repatriating the forcefully deported persons in line with its Council of Europe commitments. Georgia was looking forward to the Russian Federation also honouring its human rights obligations that it had subscribed to under the Council of Europe.

Ethiopia, speaking in a right of reply, said it rejected the concern raised by Norway on Ethiopia's anti-terrorism legislation, which was in full compliance with Ethiopia's international obligations. The passage of the terrorism legislation had benefited from best practices in different countries and was in line with the full freedoms of assembly and expression.

Japan, speaking in a right of reply, said that contrary to the statement made by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan had already expressed its heartfelt apologies to the Korean people for the events that had occurred in the 1940s and had made full repartitions for its actions during that time.

Cuba, speaking in a right of reply, said there was a well orchestrated and financed campaign against Cuba that aimed at achieving objectives which were not in harmony with human rights. The individual from the non-governmental organization who had spoken out against Cuba was not a political prisoner and he had not been exiled from Cuba. In 2011, Cuba was obliged to exclude him from the Spanish Red Cross programme because of inappropriate actions on his behalf.

Zimbabwe, speaking in a right of reply, said that Zimbabwe would continue to relentlessly promote and protect the human rights of its citizens by confronting the colonial United Kingdom that used this Council for politicization because of the lost land, fauna and flora. How could Zimbabwe listen to the United Kingdom after it had dehumanized it for over a century? Britain would have to pay heavy reparations. The United Kingdom was a violator of human rights and the Council should demand that it immediately close torture chambers, immediately remove its occupying forces from Afghanistan and that it ensure the full and unconditional decolonization of Argentina and other lands.

Iran, speaking in a right of reply, said that the comments provided by some delegations concerning the human rights situation in Iran contained flawed, inaccurate and over-exaggerated claims and unfounded allegations. The political exploitation of the Human Rights Council by some countries and non-governmental organizations had made it a tool in their hands and the result was a lost of credibility of the Council as a United Nations mechanism for human rights.

Sri Lanka, speaking in a right of reply, said that some countries felt it necessary to prejudge the results of Sri Lanka's national reconciliation mechanism, which was but one of several to which Sri Lanka was subscribed. Any resolution tabled in this Council that prejudged the national mechanism would undermine the confidence in internal processes. Sri Lanka reminded the Council that human rights would be promoted by cooperation and any imposition by the Human Rights Council would not bring results; the Universal Periodic Review was the mechanism to use to examine countries' human rights records.

Russian Federation, speaking in a right of reply in response to the statement made by the Georgian delegation, said there were approximately 80,000 Meskhetian Turks who lived in Russia and they had not given up their hopes to return to Georgia. In 2008, the Government of Georgia had rejected their applications to return to Georgia. In 2010, there were people who were arrested and sentenced including the leader of the Meskhetian Turks. The Consultative Assembly on the Framework Conference on Minorities and the European Body for the Protection of the Rights of Minorities had confirmed Georgia's actions. Russia was concerned about the 340,000 ethnic Russian minorities in Georgia and said many had left Georgia due to discrimination in employment.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea, speaking in a right of reply, said that it was a well known fact that Japan had committed crimes against humanity in Korea which remained ongoing crimes. Japan still tried to avoid its legal responsibility and continued to hide the numbers of victims. The Special Rapporteur on violence against women had confirmed that at least 2,000 women and girls were affected by the use of comfort women. The Government encouraged Japan to take full responsibility for these crimes.

Japan, speaking in a second right of reply, said it had explained its position on the point already made by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in its first intervention and would not say more.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea, speaking in a second right of reply, categorically rejected the allegations made by Japan and urged Japan to address crimes against humanity committed in Korea.

Georgia, speaking in a second right of reply on the statement by the Russian Federation, said that the Government had been unable to consider the 8,000 applications because they had been incomplete, not properly filed, done in the Russian language, not the Georgian or the English language, as required by Georgian law and thus, could hardly be qualified as applications.


For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC12/034E