Armenians as national minority suffer language, social and religious discrimination in Georgia. European Parliament MP Sylvie Guillaume expressed concern about the issue in the letter sent to Benita Ferrero-Wildner, EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy. MP asked her to instruct the EU representatives in Georgia to trace the case of Armenian political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan.

“I would like to draw your attention to the ethnic and religious discrimination of national minorities in Georgia. In particular, Armenians suffer language, social and religious discrimination. The region they live in is deprived of transit routes, as well as medical and social services,” the letter reads.

According to her, political leader of Georgian Armenians was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment on questionable charges in 2008. “The peaceful demands of his movement are neither independentist nor autonomist and seek recognition of the civil rights of the Armenian minority in Georgia, when that country conducts a policy of assimilation since the dismantling of the Russian military bases in 2005.”

She also informed EU Commissioner of the impending appeal on Chakhalyan’s case on September 18, pointing out the major infractions in the course of previous hearings: “Justice of Georgia has even denied him the right to have a French lawyer.”

“We cannot leave the Georgian authorities act in contravention of the international conventions on the right to a fair trial, all the more so as Georgia, under EU funding and by the European Neighborhood Policy, has received 15 Million Euro paid for justice reforms,” Guillaume said, calling to demand Georgian authorities’ account for the reforms in judicial system and take corresponding measure to make Tbilisi meet its commitments.