MIA Hinders Repatriation of Meskhetian-Turks to Georgia

On December 24 of 2009 at the Custom's House of the so-called Red Bridge in Kvemo Kartli region, Georgia officers of the Special Operative Department of the MIA detained Arif Tashtanov and seized his car. Arif Tashtanov is a citizen of Azerbaijan; he was transporting the furniture of repatriate family of Meskhetian-Turks Memed Raymov. They sealed up the car together with the furniture items. The family was going to settle in Akhaltsikhe district.
 
Initially the car was examined by custom officers who inquired about the destination of the family. Having learned the family was going to settle in Akhaltsikhe district, the custom officers did not allow them to continue their way and called for the Special Operative Department.  Besides the repatriate family more 14 people were crossing the border to visit Georgia for various purposes. But they were also detained and stayed at the custom's house until 12:00 am. After that they were taken to the SOD building where they stayed for one night. At the SOD everybody was interrogated and later released at 5:00 pm next day without any explanations. During the detention they were not allowed to go vent to the toilet. They were asked to sign the document on not leaving Georgia for three days.  The motive for their detention was unidentified substance discovered in the car. During the interrogation nobody inquired about the unidentified substance; law enforcement officers only inquired why they had arrived in Georgia and what their purpose of settlement in our country was. They also inquired who was funding them to purchase houses. The officers of the SOD asked the repatriates about the chairperson of Society of Meskhetians-Turks in Georgia "Vatan" Ismail (Iso) Molidze; they requested information about his trips abroad, which international organizations he was meeting there, with which non-governmental and governmental organizations he was collaborating in Georgia. They asked why Molidze visited Turkey and about the purpose of his frequent visits in Akhaltsikhe district. 
 
Law enforcement officers did not allow only those people to continue their way in Georgia who were traveling to Akhaltsikhe district; but those who were going to other districts were allowed to go. 
 
Now, the repatriate family members are in Georgia; the driver, who was not going to stay in Georgia, cannot return back Azerbaijan because his car is arrested.
 
The Human Rights Center(HRIDC) condemns the fact of oppression on Meskhstian-Turks who return to Georgia and on the chairperson of the Society "Vatan".
 
The Human Rights Center calls upon the government of Georgia to implement its responsibilities assumed before the Council of Europe to promote the repatriation of Meskhstian-Turks.
 
The Human Rights Center calls upon the international organization to monitor the repatriation process of Meskhstian-Turks and particularly of this incident in order to prevent similar facts in future.
 
Society "Vatan" has working on the issues related with repatriation of Meskhstian-Turks since 1997 in Georgia. The aim of the Society is to promote repatriation of Meskhetian-Turks in Georgia and protection of their rights.