Human Rights Center defends rights of Nadim Mardalyev, the resident of Akhaltsikhe municipality. The members of the Mardalyev’s family are repatriated Meskhs, who moved to Georgia several years ago.
In August 2020, a group of individuals attacked Nadim Mardalyev’s car and intentionally damaged it. The incident had eye-witnesses. As reported by the victim and the witnesses, the violence was committed based on religious and ethnic discriminatory grounds. The attackers were shouting that the Mardalyevs must leave Georgia.
As of now, the Akhaltsikhe district unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is investigating the attack on Nadim Mardalyev’s car under the Article 187 Part I of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
The family members claim they were subjects of discrimination and have to live under permanent threat; they feel themselves unsecure.
It is problematic that Nadim Mardalyev still has not received victim status, for what he is deprived of the right to have access to case files and enjoy his rights pursuant to the Georgian legislation.
HRC believes the discriminatory hate motive shall be identified in the case as aggravating circumstance.
HRC appeals the Akhaltsikhe unit of the Samtskhe-Javakheti regional department of the MIA to timely grant the victim status to Nadim Mardalyev to effectively defend the legal rights of the family and to ensure impartial investigation of the incident.