Activists with ethnic minority background gathered today behind the Georgian Parliament building in a minor protest against the establishment of a minority advisory council under the legislature’s Committee on Diaspora and Caucasus Affairs.
The protest was organized by Salam Platform, a nonprofit established by ethnic and religious minorities of Georgia, which on March 17 co-authored a joint statement of fifteen local civil society organizations, arguing the Parliament’s decision implicitly labeled minority groups who historically reside in the country as diasporas.
The third sector asserted this further reinforces public perceptions associating ethnic minorities with other countries and harms the process of building an inclusive, equal and democratic society, contributing instead to the alienation of the said groups.
Today’s protesters, as well as the CSOs, had the same demands – that the Parliament revokes its decision and instead establishes the council under the Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration, as it is tasked with developing and implementing policies that promote inclusivity.
Moreover, they called for wider involvement of ethnic minorities and human rights actors in the process.
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