Azeri NGOs Concerned over Azerbaijanis Rights in Georgia

A group of Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations sent an open letter to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili expressing concern over the human rights of Azerbaijani ethnic minority groups in Georgia, Baku Today online news service reported on December 8.

Azeri NGOs are particularly concerned over the violation of Azerbaijanis rights regading ownership of land, claiming that they are being deprived the right to privatize land in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, which is predominately populated by ethnic Azerbaijanis.

The protest letter was triggered by an incident which occurred on December 3, wherein an elderly ethnic Azeri woman was killed and several others injured as a result of clashes between the Azeri villagers and a security guard at a horse farm in the Marneuli district of the Kvemo Kartli region. The clashes were caused by a dispute over land ownership rights.

No official comments have been made by the Georgian government in regards to this letter.