Over the last years the compulsory mass passportization of the population has been taking course within the occupied Abkhazia. It has the form of compulsory distribution of the Abkhazian passports to the Georgians living in that region. This process had place in conditions of pressure and threat, as the population was warned, that refusal to take illegal passports or the so-called citizenship would be followed by the various restrictions including leaving of the territory of Abkhazia.

In spite of the repeated appeal of the International Community and International organizations to halter the process of the illegal passportization having place in Abkhazia, the Russian Federation for several years with the help of the de facto authorities continued the illegal passportization policy, crudely violating the rights of the population living in Abkhazia.

During the last period the reverse process started in Abkhazia, which maintains depriving of the so-called passports being issued in Abkhazia on the occasion of their checking and illegal distribution. This process like the compulsory distribution of the Abkhazian passports is conditioned by the political motives and this aims  restriction of the elementary rights of the Georgian population. Depriving ethnic Georgians of their passports means prohibition of their participation in the social - political life of the occupied territories, right of living on the territory of Abkhazia, for which it would be necessary to obtain the citizenship and passport according to the new rule. This in its turn requires according to the trustworthy sources, renunciation from the citizenship of Georgia and nationality.

These processes, being inspired by the Russian Federation, as well as the compulsory distribution of the passports is directed against the ethnic Georgians living in Abkhazia and is the discrimination of the ethnic Georgian population. Numerous international acts are being violated due to this process, such as International Convention “On the Liquidation of all the Forms of Racial Discrimination”. It considers the “Racial Discrimination” any difference, exclusion, limitation or giving a preference according to the race, skin color,  family, national or ethnic origin signs, which aim or cause  political, economic, social, cultural or  in other spheres of the social life destruction and defying recognition, usage and performing of the  Human rights and main freedoms. According to the 6th article of the Universal Declaration “every human being, wherever he is, has the right to be recognized the subject of legislation”. The 16th article of the International Pact on the civil and political rights states, that every person is spite of the place has the right to be recognized as a subject. The Human Rights Committee and the International Court Practice of Justice (28th article) equally reveals, (makes obvious) that the States has the obligation of human rights defense not only on their own territories, but beyond their territories as well.

The Supreme Council of Abkhazia repeatedly emphasizes the fact, that the States participants of the Security and Cooperation of Europe meeting memorialized the facts of “ethnic clearing”, mass banishment of the population, mainly Georgian from their own houses and death of numerous innocent people (Resolution of Budapest meeting of the Security and Cooperation of Europe being held on the 6th of December of 1994; Declaration of the  high-level meeting of Security and Cooperation of Europe in Lisbon being held on the 2-3 December of 1996; Declaration of the high-level  Istanbul meeting, being held on the 19th of November of 1999).

The general assembly of UN took into consideration the above mentioned IOM documents in passing the resolution on the 15th of May of 2008. A deep concern is expressed in the Resolution about the changes in the demographic conditions of Abkhazia after the conflict and the efforts to change the demographic situation. The Resolution recognizes the rights of all the refugees and IDP’s and their descendants to return to Abkhazia despite their nationality and ethnic belonging; the importance of defending the property rights of these persons is also stressed.

Earlier the similar position was fixed in the resolution made by the Security Council of UN on the 15th of October of 2007. The analogous position is strengthened and confirmed in the 5th of June of 2014  resolution of the UN general assembly, which all over again recognizes  the right of all the IDP”s and refugees  of  return to the separatist Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.

In the conditions of emphasizing the right of the adequate and Bona Fide returning of the refugees and IDP’s to Abkhazia by the International Commonwealth, Russia together with the De Facto Abkhazian authorities blocks and limits the possibility of living in Abkhazia for the ethnic Georgians. The occupant ground their policy with the demands of the legislation being passed by the illegal authorities of Abkhazia. Appealing to the acts being annihilated by the Georgian legislation and International Law sounds cynical, but anyway we have to stress the fact, that the discrimination policy of the Russian Federation hiding behind the back of the separatist regime opposes the singular articles being declared in the working ”Constitution” for deceiving the International Society (article 11-13, 27, 28).

The Russian Federation is using the concentration of the International Commonwealth on the processes having place in Ukraine for its own personal benefit and is trying to speed up the total annexation of the occupied territories of Georgia, legalize the ethnic clearing performed on the territory of Georgia and the military aggression against Georgia and hinder the aspiration of the Georgian State towards the European and North Atlantic structures.

The Supreme Council of Abkhazia hopes, that the International Commonwealth and International Institutions will give a proper assessment to the above mentioned processes and strongly urge:

As, According to the International Legislation the occupant State is responsible for the defending of Human Rights on the occupied territories - to toughen the diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation for the above listed destruction actions and halt the racial discrimination of the ethnic Georgians.

Tbilisi,

June of 2014

The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia