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Perfume and 20% Occupation

December 9, 2010
Lika Gigineishvili, www.netgazeti.ge

“20% of Georgia is occupied by the Russian Federation.” If the Parliament of Georgia enacts this draft-law, this notice might be written on the information leaflets of any perfume company in Georgia. This initiative will be introduced into the Law of Georgia on the Occupied Territories. According to the draft amendments, perfume companies will not be the only companies who are entitled to attach the text about the occupied territories.

With the amendments, any information leaflet can be used to provide society with a reminder about Russia’s occupation of 20% of Georgian territory alongside advertising the products.

“20% of Georgian territory is occupied by the Russian Federation. As a result of ethnic cleansing, about 400 000 people were internally displaced and about 30 000 people were killed in these territories,” the text shall be clearly written on various leaflets in the Georgian and English languages; a map of Georgia with the marked occupied territories will be attached as well.

If the draft-amendments are introduced to the Law about Occupied Territories in the form that it is now, the text will be printed on the leaflets of perfumes, communication, tourist companies, shops, restaurants, café-bars, editions, universities, and pharmaceutical products – of every administrative institution, physical or legal entity.

The draft-project was initiated by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Territorial Integrity, Shota Malashkhia.

The author of the draft-law said it has two goals: First, to maintain in public’s consciousness the fact that 20% of Georgian territory is occupied by Russia, as well as to remind them of the ethnic cleansing that took place in those territories. “I think that public opinion is also clear about it – they should always remember what is happening in the occupied territories. There might be several people in Tbilisi who cannot feel it but children, old people and everybody sees what is going on in the occupied territories, because the occupation line is seen from their schools and houses. The entirety of Georgia should live in the same regime,” said Malashkhia.

Second, it aims to provide international society with more information regarding the occupation of Georgian territories. The author of the draft law thinks it will support the de-occupation process.

“Working on the draft-law was caused by a lack of information in the international community about the occupation of Georgian territories which also hinders the de-occupation process,” the clarification letter of the draft-law states.

Brewery “Mirzaani” has five restaurants in Georgia. The head of public relations and marketing service of the company- Begi Logua said they use the printed information leaflets for advertising. He said they will act in accordance to the law but “there is no link between the Lunch Menu of the Mirzaani and occupation of Georgia.”

The Head of the Public Relations Department of the perfume company Ici Paris Khatia Shamugia said they rarely print advertising leaflets. When asked whether they would print the text about the occupied territories of Georgia on their leaflet, she said they will act in accordance to the law if it is required but in any other occasion she does not like the idea“ [The]visual advertisement of perfumes and the historical discussion of Georgia are two very different things. If they decide it is necessary, we will not oppose it of course. But, at the moment, I cannot connect the idea with Eve San Loran.”

Malashkhia does not exclude the possibility that the draft-law will be amended as a result of parliamentary discussion and hearings.

It has not yet been decided as to how much space will be dedicated to the abovementioned text in the information leaflets. It is not yet known what sanctions will be used for the violation of the requirement.

The draft-law obliges the Ministry of Justice to estimate sanctions for the violation. Within one month after the law is enacted the Ministry should prepare and submit the draft law on the amendments to the Administrative Code of Georgia to the Parliament of Georgia.

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