The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia accuses Russia of "ethnic cleansings"

Gela Bezhuashvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, accused Moscow of "ethnic cleansings" in connection with the campaign unfolded in Russia against natives from Georgia, the "Newsru.com" reports.

Speaking on October 6 to journalists in Tbilisi, Bezhuashvili called Russian sanctions to be "counterproductive" and gave tough comments on prosecution of Georgians in Russia. "It's not just xenophobia. It is a mild form of ethic cleansings," he said.

The current crisis started, when the Georgian authorities arrested in Tbilisi several Russian servicemen having accused them of espionage. The arrested persons were soon delivered to Moscow through the OSCE mediation, however, the transport blockade of Georgia introduced by Russia and other sanctions continue to stay in force.

On October 6, the law enforcement bodies deported from Russia over 130 citizens of Georgia, whom the authorities called illegal immigrants. However, the representatives of the Georgian Embassy would not agree to that.

"Many citizens of Georgia were staying here with visas and registrations, but unfortunately, the decisions were still made on their expulsion from the Russian Federation," Zurab Pataradze, Georgian consul in Moscow, told the "Interfax."

On Friday October 6, it became known that the Russian authorities are checking the financial matters of the writer Gregory Chkhartishvili, who is better known under the nickname of Boris Akunin.

Boris Akunin said that the directors of the publishing house where his books are printed "are dragged out to the tax police." In this case, says the author of novels about detective Erast Fandorin, "it is not a usual tax check. They were told openly that the police are interested in relations of the publishing house only with me - Gregory Chkhartishvili."

Commenting on the actions of the authorities in relation to natives of Georgia, Akunin said: "These days, what we witness in the country is, and I deliberately use these words, a fascist hysteria. It has become quite unsafe now to be a brunet."

The writer is sure that the conflict with Georgia will settle down. But, according to his words, "the matter is not in cancellation of flights, not in economic or diplomatic measures, the matter is in what happens now in Russia, and what traces will be left in mass consciousness by all this dirt."

At the same time, the Audit Chamber has revealed a non-targeted spending of 2.1 million roubles of budget funds by the Russia Academy of Arts headed by sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, the "Commersant" newspaper reports. "We have already been audited on this year, and no violations were revealed. We haven't yet got the documents from the Audit Chamber, so we don't understand what the charges are," Galina Gordopolova, deputy head of the information division of the Academy, explained. They asserted at the Audit Chamber that there was no national background in the outcomes of the audit: "It was a routine revision taken within the plan approved back in December 2005."

Valery Gribakin, head of the information department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, declared that "neither the Ministry, nor its territorial subdivisions" sent to Moscow schools any "secret documents requesting from them lists of children of Georgian nationality." However, at the Moscow's Department of Education the fact of such checks was confirmed, and they assured that each case will be investigated. Alexander Gavrilov, Department's press secretary, stated that "militiamen are engaged in local self-activity, and it has nothing to do with any city-wide policies." Sergey Tsoy, press secretary of Moscow's Mayor, spoke yesterday in defence of Georgian children saying that the capital's authorities "will not let segregating children by their nationalities."

Also on October 6, the Ministry of Education of Georgia reported that school No. 9, which is under the Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasia, excluded 80 Georgian pupils and dismissed 20 teachers. They were all moved to other schools. The Ministry voiced out a protest and treated the accident as an "ethnic discrimination."

Yesterday October 6, the Russian authorities started deporting Georgian citizens. An aircraft was sent to Tbilisi with 143 Georgian deportees on board. Zurab Pataradze, consul of Georgia in Moscow, stated that deportation was held with violations of the law. "They just took away documents from some of the Georgians, and then, in absentia, without their presence at court, presented them a deportation statement," Mr. Pataradze said. The Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation rejected these charges stating that "all the procedures were completely in conformity with the law and were held in the presence of the consul, who is now making reckless declarations for whatever purpose."

Yuri Chaika, Prosecutor General, stated that he did not find the actions of law enforcement bodies towards citizens of Georgia to be "excessive." "Everything that happens today, is done exclusively under the legislation in force and never gets any beyond," Yuri Chaika confirmed.