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The Statement Of Vahagn Chakhalyan, Leader Of The "United Jakhk Demo

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  • The Statement Of Vahagn Chakhalyan, Leader Of The "United Jakhk Demo

    THE STATEMENT OF VAHAGN CHAKHALYAN, LEADER OF THE "UNITED JAVAKHK" DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE" POLITICAL MOVEMENT

    AZG Armenian Daily
    03/02/2009

    Javakhk

    Since the day of its establishment the "United Javakhk" Democratic
    Alliance" political movement, of which I am the leader, has been
    seeking solutions to the problems of the Javakheti and Georgian
    Armenians on the whole.

    There used to be and there still are a lot of problems to face. The
    Georgian authorities undertake successive actions to encourage the
    immigration of the Javakheti Armenians and to change the ethnic picture
    of the region. Thus, 70% of the students at the State University in
    Akhalkalaki are ethnic Georgians. Moreover, a Georgian orphanage is
    established and a big prison is being built in Ninotsminda, attempts
    to georgianize the Armenian churches are made, new Georgian monasteries
    are 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.

    After the murder of the ethnic Armenian - Gevorg Gevorgyan in Tsalka
    region on March 9, 2006, his relatives and friends organized a
    protest action, which was forcefully broken up by the police. This
    caused a well-grounded discontent of the Javakheti Armenians. The
    "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" placed itself at the head of
    this wave of protests.

    After each protest action I, as a leader of the "United Javakhk"
    Democratic Alliance", had a meeting with the Georgian authorities. The
    latter kept on promising to solve the problems regarding the Javakheti
    Armenians, however, the 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 "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" followed this
    advice. In October 2006 we took part in the elections to the local
    self-administration bodies, however blatant falsifications of the
    voting results by the authorities deprived the "United Javakhk"
    Democratic Alliance" of the opportunity to have any visible
    participation in the local self-administration bodies. The protest
    action organized by the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" was
    put down by police by means of provocation and use of force.

    Throughout the year 2007 the Georgian authorities had been undertaking
    successive actions to liquidate the "United Javakhk" Democratic
    Alliance" and to ensure my political isolation and neutralization. The
    culmination of these actions became the events that took place in
    July 17-21, 2008.

    Today, 6 months after my imprisonment, the Georgian authorities
    charge me with organizing protest actions in Akhalkalaki in 2006,
    - the actions by means of which the Javakheti Armenians voiced
    the problems and issues they were concerned about 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 self-administration bodies, claiming to declare the election
    results invalid.

    Thus, in this courtroom I am stating the following: this lawsuit
    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 mouthpiece for the rights of the
    Javakheti Armenians. By charging me you charge the Armenian minority
    of your country.

    The arrests of Ahaltsikha Armenian activists Grigor Minasyan, and
    Sargis Hakobjanyan 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.

    As in the past, once again I request the Georgian authorities to:

    Stop all the criminal cases brought against the members of the "United
    Javakhk" Democratic Alliance", my relatives and friends, as well as
    against me. To stop all political and economic persecutions. Release
    all political prisoners who were arrested for their activities aimed
    at protection of the rights of the Armenian minority, including -
    of people arrested in Akhaltsikhe.

    Cease all the programs aimed at the artificial change of the
    demographic picture of the Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions.

    Solve all the linguistic-educational, socio-economic and cultural
    problems the Armenian Minority of Georgia is concerned about.

    - Register the Armenian Apostolic Church and return it all the churches
    that have been confiscated during the soviet era.

    - Legally authorize the use of the Armenian language in the work of
    the local self-administration bodies and in general office work in
    Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions.

    - Give permission for establishing an Armenian university in
    Akhalkalaki.
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