The United Javakhk Democratic Alliance [UJDA] is one of the most vocal political forces in the Armenian dominated Samtskhe-Javakheti province of Georgia. This is an exclusively Armenian and a provincial party. Refering to UJDA, it seems more appropriate to use the past tense as the founder and all the party cadres have been arrested by the Georgian authorities or are in hiding.
In December 2008, for instance, a court found one of UJDA activists, Mr. Shirinian, guilty on two counts; murder and illegal arms possession, and sentenced him - “in absentia” - to 17 years of prison. The judge found Shirinian’s father and his aunt guilty of false testimony, and sentenced both to 2 years probationary detention.
The UJDA founder and leader Mr. Vahagn Chakhalian was arrested 6 months ago. His father and his adolescent brother have been freed on bail but Mr. Chakhalian has been charged on 6 counts of the criminal code; procurement and possession of firearms, ammunition and explosive materials, organizing events disrupting the public order, collective resistance enacted against police and state officials, and hooliganism.
During Mr. Chakhalian’s hearing last January, his attorney said; “It would appear that the Georgian authorities are sparing no effort to punish Vahagn Chakhalian with imprisonment. Given that all charges presented so far are evidently political in nature and that there is a growing interest in the case by various international bodies, the Georgian authorities are now attempting to portray Vahagn Chakhalian as a mere ‘hooligan’ and try him as such.” He added that the authorities have been artificially delaying the trial.
At the hearing on 28 January 2009, Mr. Chakhalian read a statement in which he presented the issues that the Samtskhe-Javakheti Armenians face. His statement that follows was published by different online dailies such as Hetq and Azg. I am in [ ]
The Statement of Mr. Vahagn Chakhalian
Since the day of its establishment the “United Javakhk Democratic Alliance” [UJDA] political movement, of which I am the leader, has strived to solve the problems of Javakheti Armenians and Georgian Armenians on the whole [many Armenians live elsewhere in Georgia, ouside Samtskhe-Javakheti].
There used to be and still are lots of issues to tackle. The Georgian authorities undertake successive actions to encourage the immigration of the Javakheti Armenians in order to modify the ethnic mix of the region. Thus, 70 percent of the students at the State University in Akhalkalaki [Javakheti province] are ethnic Georgians. Moreover, a Georgian orphanage has been opened, a big prison is being built in Ninotsminda, attempts to georgianize the Armenian churches are made, new Georgian monasteries are being constructed, etc.
In Javakheti there is no alternative to using the Georgian language, which is imposed at all levels of social life. The Javakheti Armenians are refused the right to establish an Armenian language-based university.
[The Democratic Path]
After the murder of the ethnic Armenian Gevorg Gevorgian in Tsalka on 9 March 2006, his relatives and friends organized a protest action, which was forcefully broken up by the police. This caused a well-grounded discontent among the Javakheti Armenians. The UJDA placed itself at the head of this wave of protests.
After the protest action, as the leader of UJDA, I had a meeting with the Georgian authorities who kept on promising to solve the problems of the Javakheti Armenians. However, these promises remained unfulfilled.
The authorities advised us to refrain from mass protest actions and to pursue our objectives through participation in elections and other democratic processes.
The UJDA followed this advice: In October 2006, we took part in the elections to the local administrative bodies. However, blatant falsifications of the voting results by the authorities deprived UJDA of participating in the local administrative bodies. The protest action organized by UJDA was put down by the police by means of provocation and use of force.
Throughout the year 2007 the Georgian authorities undertook successive actions to liquidate UJDA and to ensure my political isolation. The culmination of these actions became the events that took place on 17-21 July 2008.
Today, 6 months after my arrest, the Georgian authorities charge me with organizing protest actions in Akhalkalaki [Javakheti] in 2006:
- the actions by means of which the Javakheti Armenians voiced the issues they were concerned with and requested the Georgian authorities to solve them
- the protest actions during which the Javakheti Armenians voiced their discontent about the blatant falsifications made by the authorities during the elections to the local administrative bodies, requesting to declare the election results invalid
[The Farce]
Thus, in this courtroom I am stating the following: This proceeding is a farce, and the reason for continuously delaying the trial lies in the fact that the Georgian authorities are afraid of me; as a political activist who is a spokesperson of the Javakheti Armenians. By charging me, you charge the Armenian minority of your country.
The arrests of Akhaltsikha Armenian activists Grigor Minasian, and Sargis Hakobjanian are also the result of this fear. This is a new provocation, which aims to impel the Javakheti Armenians to extremist actions and by this to discredit the peaceful struggle of Javakheti Armenians for their language, educational and religious rights.
[Six Requests]
As in the past, I once again request the Georgian authorities to:
1.
Stop all the criminal cases brought against the members of UJDA, my relatives and friends, as well as against me. Stop all political and economic persecutions. Release all political prisoners who were arrested for their activities aimed at protecting the rights of the Armenian minority, including those arrested in Akhaltsikhe.
2.
Cease all the programs aimed at the artificial change of the demographic mix of the Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions.
3.
Solve all the linguistic-educational, socio-economic and cultural problems of the Armenian minority of Georgia.
4.
Legalize and recognize the Armenian Apostolic Church and return to it all churches confiscated under the Soviet regime.
5.
Authorize, by law, the use of the Armenian language in the work of the local administrative bodies in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions.
6.
Give permission for establishing an Armenian university in Akhalkalaki.
The Georgian authorities will not be able to solve any problem by means of judicial proceedings and repressions. This will only amplify the discontent.
The Javakheti Armenians will continue the struggle for their rights.
___________________________________
To read an interesting interview with Mr. Chakhalian by Kristine Aghalarian of Hetq online, dated 26/01/2009, please click here.
Map of Samtskhe-Javakheti from Wikki commons.
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In December 2008, for instance, a court found one of UJDA activists, Mr. Shirinian, guilty on two counts; murder and illegal arms possession, and sentenced him - “in absentia” - to 17 years of prison. The judge found Shirinian’s father and his aunt guilty of false testimony, and sentenced both to 2 years probationary detention.
The UJDA founder and leader Mr. Vahagn Chakhalian was arrested 6 months ago. His father and his adolescent brother have been freed on bail but Mr. Chakhalian has been charged on 6 counts of the criminal code; procurement and possession of firearms, ammunition and explosive materials, organizing events disrupting the public order, collective resistance enacted against police and state officials, and hooliganism.
During Mr. Chakhalian’s hearing last January, his attorney said; “It would appear that the Georgian authorities are sparing no effort to punish Vahagn Chakhalian with imprisonment. Given that all charges presented so far are evidently political in nature and that there is a growing interest in the case by various international bodies, the Georgian authorities are now attempting to portray Vahagn Chakhalian as a mere ‘hooligan’ and try him as such.” He added that the authorities have been artificially delaying the trial.
At the hearing on 28 January 2009, Mr. Chakhalian read a statement in which he presented the issues that the Samtskhe-Javakheti Armenians face. His statement that follows was published by different online dailies such as Hetq and Azg. I am in [ ]
The Statement of Mr. Vahagn Chakhalian
Since the day of its establishment the “United Javakhk Democratic Alliance” [UJDA] political movement, of which I am the leader, has strived to solve the problems of Javakheti Armenians and Georgian Armenians on the whole [many Armenians live elsewhere in Georgia, ouside Samtskhe-Javakheti].
There used to be and still are lots of issues to tackle. The Georgian authorities undertake successive actions to encourage the immigration of the Javakheti Armenians in order to modify the ethnic mix of the region. Thus, 70 percent of the students at the State University in Akhalkalaki [Javakheti province] are ethnic Georgians. Moreover, a Georgian orphanage has been opened, a big prison is being built in Ninotsminda, attempts to georgianize the Armenian churches are made, new Georgian monasteries are being constructed, etc.
In Javakheti there is no alternative to using the Georgian language, which is imposed at all levels of social life. The Javakheti Armenians are refused the right to establish an Armenian language-based university.
[The Democratic Path]
After the murder of the ethnic Armenian Gevorg Gevorgian in Tsalka on 9 March 2006, his relatives and friends organized a protest action, which was forcefully broken up by the police. This caused a well-grounded discontent among the Javakheti Armenians. The UJDA placed itself at the head of this wave of protests.
After the protest action, as the leader of UJDA, I had a meeting with the Georgian authorities who kept on promising to solve the problems of the Javakheti Armenians. However, these promises remained unfulfilled.
The authorities advised us to refrain from mass protest actions and to pursue our objectives through participation in elections and other democratic processes.
The UJDA followed this advice: In October 2006, we took part in the elections to the local administrative bodies. However, blatant falsifications of the voting results by the authorities deprived UJDA of participating in the local administrative bodies. The protest action organized by UJDA was put down by the police by means of provocation and use of force.
Throughout the year 2007 the Georgian authorities undertook successive actions to liquidate UJDA and to ensure my political isolation. The culmination of these actions became the events that took place on 17-21 July 2008.
Today, 6 months after my arrest, the Georgian authorities charge me with organizing protest actions in Akhalkalaki [Javakheti] in 2006:
- the actions by means of which the Javakheti Armenians voiced the issues they were concerned with and requested the Georgian authorities to solve them
- the protest actions during which the Javakheti Armenians voiced their discontent about the blatant falsifications made by the authorities during the elections to the local administrative bodies, requesting to declare the election results invalid
[The Farce]
Thus, in this courtroom I am stating the following: This proceeding is a farce, and the reason for continuously delaying the trial lies in the fact that the Georgian authorities are afraid of me; as a political activist who is a spokesperson of the Javakheti Armenians. By charging me, you charge the Armenian minority of your country.
The arrests of Akhaltsikha Armenian activists Grigor Minasian, and Sargis Hakobjanian are also the result of this fear. This is a new provocation, which aims to impel the Javakheti Armenians to extremist actions and by this to discredit the peaceful struggle of Javakheti Armenians for their language, educational and religious rights.
[Six Requests]
As in the past, I once again request the Georgian authorities to:
1.
Stop all the criminal cases brought against the members of UJDA, my relatives and friends, as well as against me. Stop all political and economic persecutions. Release all political prisoners who were arrested for their activities aimed at protecting the rights of the Armenian minority, including those arrested in Akhaltsikhe.
2.
Cease all the programs aimed at the artificial change of the demographic mix of the Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions.
3.
Solve all the linguistic-educational, socio-economic and cultural problems of the Armenian minority of Georgia.
4.
Legalize and recognize the Armenian Apostolic Church and return to it all churches confiscated under the Soviet regime.
5.
Authorize, by law, the use of the Armenian language in the work of the local administrative bodies in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions.
6.
Give permission for establishing an Armenian university in Akhalkalaki.
The Georgian authorities will not be able to solve any problem by means of judicial proceedings and repressions. This will only amplify the discontent.
The Javakheti Armenians will continue the struggle for their rights.
___________________________________To read an interesting interview with Mr. Chakhalian by Kristine Aghalarian of Hetq online, dated 26/01/2009, please click here.
Map of Samtskhe-Javakheti from Wikki commons.
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