Independent experts were questioned today. Georgian Public Defender Giorgi Tughushi and former member of Council of Europe Monitoring Committee Matyas Eorsi were invited by court to the hearing that indicated significance of their rectifications.
European Human Rights Court continues hearings on the complaint filed by Georgia regarding the deportation of Georgian nationals on ethnic grounds from Russia in 2006. The court will make its final decision by the end of 2011.
The HRW report said the NGO documented:
"the Russian government's arbitrary and illegal detention and expulsion of Georgians, including many who legally lived and worked in Russia," and that following the growing political tensions between Russia and Georgia, "Russian authorities began a widespread crackdown on ethnic Georgians, Georgian nationals, and Georgian-owned or Georgian-themed businesses and organizations... Senior government officials disparaged Georgians openly on government-owned TV, and much of Russia’s government-friendly TV and other media followed suit... Police and other authorities denied basic rights to many of the detained" and underscored that "the Russian government’s campaign against Georgians occurred in the context of pervasive racism and xenophobia in Russia.
