Rights defenders accuse Georgian President of racism

The Georgian Human Rights Centre has moved accusations against President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, who, in opinion of human rights activists, makes racist statements.

"In particular, on July 27 at a meeting in the Ministry of Finance, Saakashvili said: "Are we Negroes? Or why do we behave as savages?" runs the today's statement of a Georgian NGO.

Human rights activists were also dissatisfied with adoption by the parliament of Georgia of amendments to the law on reserve (alternate) military service.

The Centre's statement promulgated today runs that on July 21 the parliament of Georgia passed, in the accelerated mode, "in partisan way", amendments to the law on reserve military service, which has become, in the opinion of human rights defenders, an element of the government's militaristic policy.

According to the adopted amendments, males aged 27-40 will be recruited to mandatory reserve service several times a year, in total for 45 days. Under the previous legislation, the reserve service was voluntary, and the total term was 18 days, the "Interfax" reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at the yesterday's meeting with employees of the Ministry of Finance, President of Georgia labelled the customs workers who searched foreign tourists as "savages".