Racism

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Residents of Pankisi’s Duisi village protest against the authorities’ refusal to allow Leila Kavtarova into the country. Image via Interpressnews.

Georgia

Pankisi native barred from entering Georgia

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•2 min read

Leila Kavtarova, a Russian–French native of the Pankisi Valley, has been barred from entering Georgia and held at the Kutaisi Airport since Monday. Kavtarova, 23, flew into Georgia from France with her child. Upon arrival in Kutaisi, Kavtarova and her child were barred from entering the country by the Georgian border police. ‘They took my passports […] I asked why they wouldn’t let me in, but they didn’t answer. I was told that the flight is on 18 [March] and I can fly back […] they don’t

Aida Balafkan during a previous visit to Tbilisi.

Georgia

‘Serious blow to Georgian studies’: government under fire for denying entry to British scholar

by Shota Kincha

•5 min read

Scholars and rights advocates have scrambled to hold the government to account after a Tehran-born British researcher was denied entry to Georgia without explanation. Over 180 mostly academic scholars and professors have signed a petition demanding clarification from the Government for denying entry to Aida Balafkan, a British citizen. The incident has threatened to move an academic conference from Georgia while Balafkan is currently mounting a legal challenge against the decision. Georgia

Georgia

Georgia denies entry to British woman ‘because of her birthplace’

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

A British citizen has claimed to have been the victim of racial profiling upon her arrival in Tbilisi International Airport after she was refused entry into the country and quickly deported without explanation. Leila (not her real name), who was born in Tehran but moved to Britain as a child, told OC Media that she was denied entry to Georgia last week. She was visiting Georgia as part of her PhD research into Georgian culture. Leila was travelling with her husband Stewart (not his real name

Georgia

Georgian Ambulance crew accused of ethnic discrimination

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•1 min read

An ambulance crew in Georgia has been accused of making discriminatory remarks by members of the Salam rights group after being called to the group’s office. Members of Salam, who advocate for the equal treatment for ethnic minorities in Georgia, called an ambulance to their office in Tbilisi on Wednesday after one of their members fell ill. Salam co-founder Kamran Mammadli, a Georgian citizen who is ethnic Azerbaijani, told OC Media that after an argument, one of the doctors told them that

A vandalised plaque for Armenian philanthropist Aleksandr Melik-Azaryants in central Tbilisi. February 2019. Photo: Irakli Khvadagiani

armenophobia

Armenophobia: ‘the oldest form of xenophobia in Georgia’

by Shota Kincha

•8 min read

From tropes about rich, greedy merchants, jokes about cultural appropriation, to overblown fears of separatism, Georgia’s ethnic Armenian community are frequently the targets of hate. ‘My mother is Armenian, and I will always speak proudly about it’, Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said in Parliament in June 2004, after an MP suggested that ‘some people’ hid their parents’ ethnicity. Being ‘secretly Armenian’ has been a common accusation between political rivals in Georgia, with targe

A synagogue in Tbilisi. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

Analysis

Datablog | Are Georgians and Armenians becoming more or less tolerant?

by Kristine Vacharadze

•2 min read

Surveys carried out in Georgia and in Armenia in 2009 and 2019 asked respondents if they approved or disapproved of doing business with or marriages with people of 12 other ethnicities. So, are Georgians and Armenians becoming more or less tolerant? Data from the Caucasus Barometer has consistently suggested that Georgians and Armenians are more tolerant of doing businesses with other ethnicities than they are of inter-ethnic marriages. Data from the 2019 Caucasus Barometer showed that in bo

Armenia

Georgian logistics company: ‘Don’t use Armenian surnames’

by Shota Kincha

•2 min read

Georgian logistics company Gzavnili has advised its customers not to use Armenian surnames when ordering parcels. A message on the company’s website blamed the Azerbaijani customs services for the policy, claiming that a new law in Azerbaijan allowed them to confiscate packages on the border. ‘Dear friends. With great regret I have to inform you that Azerbaijan has issued a law which allows them to confiscate all packages with Armenian last names. The packages received on September 3 and 4th