Georgia: Update to GGA29833.E of 6 August 1998 on the treatment of Yezidi Kurds and state protection available to them
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 15 September 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GGA35325.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Georgia: Update to GGA29833.E of 6 August 1998 on the treatment of Yezidi Kurds and state protection available to them, 15 September 2000, GGA35325.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be324.html [accessed 20 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Very little information further to that of GGA29833.E of 6 August 1998 on the treatment of Yezidi Kurds or state protection available to them could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in a report on a November 1998 observer mission to Georgia, the Danish Immigration Service stated that "most" Yezidi Kurds live in Tbilisi and Rustavi (Oct. 1999). The report added that
[Yezidi] Kurds have applied for a licence to publish a Kurdish newspaper. This will be published in Russian, since most Yezidi Kurds speak Russian. There are no Yezidi Kurdish schools, owing to economic difficulties, no cultural or historical monuments and no libraries. Once a week a fifteen-minute radio programme is broadcast in Kurdish. Kurds have one representative in Parliament. The Deputy President [of the Yezidi Kurdish Information and Cultural Centre, Muraz Ajemian] said that Kurds are not subjected to restrictions on grounds of ethnic origin (ibid.).
According to the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development, the first issue of a monthly newspaper for Georgia's Yezidi Kurdish community was published in August 1999 (12 Aug. 1999). The editor and publisher, Karam Ankos, reportedly stressed the "apolitical character" of the newspaper, and indicated that it would focus on "Yezid religious teaching, Kurdish culture, folk traditions, education, history, language" (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Danish Immigration Service. October 1999. Report on Roving Attaché Mission to Georgia.
Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development. 12 August 1999. "The First Kurd Newspaper in Georgia."
Additional Sources Consulted
Two oral sources consulted did not provide information.
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International.
BBC. 1998-2000.
British Helsinki Human Rights Group.
Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development.
Dengê Êzidiyan: Forum of Yezidism.
The Economist [London]. 1997-2000.
European Centre for Minority Issues.
European Commission against Racism and Intolerance.
European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity.
Human Rights Watch.
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights.
Kurdish Human Rights Project.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 1998-2000.
Washington Kurdish Institute.
World News Connection (WNC)
