NGO demands to recognize cleansings of Christian population of Georgia

A press conference on the topic "Recognition of the fact of cleansings of Christian population in Meskhetiya (Georgia) in 1918-1919" has been held today by the NGO "National Education Union" in the "Sumshoblo" Publishing House.

According to David Arabidze, a member of the Board of the "Free Trade Union of Teachers," it is immoral to admit the fact of deportation of Meskhetian Turks and to ignore another fact of ethnic-religious cleansing of local Christian population, which was conducted in Meskhetiya in 1918-1919.

The cleansing of the indigenous Christian population was conducted by the so-called "Yerlys," who stood for separation and independence of the Meskhetiya District of Georgia.

"The cleanings were conducted with special cynicism and cruelty. There were cases, when victims were placed ten persons one after another to check how many of them would be killed with one bullet," Georgiy Amashukeli, Chairman of the NGO "National Education Union," told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The "National Education Union" has repeatedly addressed the authorities with a request to consider their project, give estimate to the events of 1918-1919 and to request the archives on this case, however, with no success. No reaction followed from the opposition either.

"I think the reason is that this topic seems non-winning to politicians, it is unfit for speculations and use for winning electors' votes. Besides, the recognition of the fact of cleansings means the need to pay out compensations to victims' families," Georgiy Amashukeli said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The archives of the Georgian Democratic Republic, which existed in 1918-1921, were brought abroad by Georgian public figure Spiridon Kediya and are still in Paris. Therefore, the exact number of victims and details of cleansings of 1918-1919 remain unknown.