Document #1168529
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
According to Soyuz, No. 32, August 1990, out of the total population of the then Georgian SSR (5,443,000), Armenians account for 437,000 (IRBDC Oct. 1991, 91).
According to a correspondent for Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE\RL) in Munich, the situation of ethnic
minorities in Georgia has improved since Shevardnadze came to power
(10 Dec. 1992). The correspondent stated that there is tension
between Armenian and Georgian populations; however, this tension
does not amount to discrimination (Ibid.).
An official with the Helsinki Commission,
who visited Georgia in June and October 1992, stated in a telephone
interview with the DIRB on 10 December 1992 that Armenians in
Abkhazia have complained of beatings, abductions, extortion, and
confiscation and theft of property. However, Abkhazia is in a state
of war, and residents of other national origins have also
registered similar complaints (Ibid.).
Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 1991 reports that "[i]n Georgia many ethnic
groups complained of de facto discrimination in housing and
employment" (1992, 1287).
Additional and/or corroborative information
on this subject is currently unavailable to the DIRB.
Country Report on Human Rights
Practices for 1991. 1992. U.S. Department of State. Washington:
U.S. Government Printing Office.
Helsinki Commission, Washington, D.C. 10
December 1992. Telephone Interview with Official.
Immigration and Refugee Board
Documentation Centre (IRBDC), Ottawa. October 1991. USSR:
Country Profile.
Radio Free Europe\Radio Liberty
(RFE\RL), Munich. 10 December 1992. Telephone Interview with
Correspondent.
Country Report on Human Rights
Practices for 1991. 1992. U.S. Department of State. Washington:
U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 1287.