Georgia
Georgian Azerbaijanis decry government ‘incompetence’ over Novruz religious designation
A number of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia have criticised the government for submitting a decision to lift the curfew for Novruz, a secular holiday, to the State Agency for Religious Issues. Members of Salam, a group advocating for equal treatment for ethnic minorities in Georgia, said the move was a sign of ‘incompetence’. While Novruz has Zoroastrian roots, in modern times it is a popular spring holiday observed annually by many communities, predominantly in the Middle East, Caucasus, and
