The "Memorial" demands to stop the campaign against the natives of Georgia

The "Memorial" Russian Society ("Memorial" Human Rights Centre) is voicing out a deep concern with the escalation of tension in Georgian-Russian relations, which may lead to grave and irreversible consequences. This is the topic of the "Memorial's" declaration that arrived to the editorial board of the "Caucasian Knot."

The blame for the course of events is on both parties, although in different shares. Each of them is acting to provoke the other one towards hostile acts, and both yield to these provocations, the declaration notes.

The "Memorial" Centre remarks that the present situation stems out of the tension that has accumulated for years. First, Stalin's design of the "national-state" organization, then, in the process of USSR disintegration, cast-iron policies of a great number of Georgian, Abkhazian and South-Ossetian leaders, then, an active interference of the Russian Federation and its subjects into the political processes in the territories beyond the Russian jurisdiction, - all this has resulted in a political-legal deadlock, which has clearly come out back in the 1990s.

It is said in the declaration that some people cherished hopes for the way out of the deadlock with the uncompromising position declared several years ago by Mikhail Saakashvili, which enabled him to win the power and even gain certain results. The "Memorial" Centre believes that in their tonality in relations with Russia, the Georgian leadership has also lost the feeling of reality, balance of forces and capabilities.

The "Memorial" regards that the action of arresting Russian servicemen was organized by the Georgian authorities in a deliberately demonstrative manner. The declaration states further that while preparing the action, the Georgian leaders could not but understand that the reaction of the Russian side would be extremely tough, and, possibly, beyond what is generally adopted in international practice when reacting to arrest of one's intelligence agents. It is quite probable that the Georgian leaders were not knowingly excluding that Russia would take measures forcing many population layers of the country to suffer.

The "Memorial" Centre considers that it does not still justify Russia's taking the disproportional sanctions, directly targeted at all the citizens of Georgia as a whole and touching on their legal and often vital interests. Moreover, the sanctions were extended and expanded already after the release of the servicemen and without moving any claims to the neighbouring country. This course of action has nothing to do with protection of interests of Russia and the rights of its citizens, the "Memorial" Centre believes. Such actions may only bring violations of the rights of millions of people, who are in no case tangled into interstate controversies, and the enmity in international relations that will persist in the region for many years into the future.

The "Memorial" Centre demands from the leadership of both countries to take responsible actions towards cease of tension and fast settlement of the arisen crisis.

The "Memorial" Centre is also stating in its declaration: "The arrested Russian servicemen were accused not just of espionage (which is illegal yet usual in state practice), but also of sabotage and even terrorist activities. If the latter charges have real grounds, it would imply that the Russian party had stepped over the brink of what is permissible in the modern civilized world in relation to another state. In this case, the demonstrative character of the actions of Georgian authorities and maximum possible public disclosure of the events would have been justified. However, so far, no serious proofs of this type of activities of Russian servicemen in the territory of Georgia have been presented. We, citizens of Russia, have the right to request such evidences from the government of Georgia. Without presenting such proofs, moving such serious charges would have been reckless."

It its declaration, the "Memorial" Centre addresses the leaders of Russia and Georgia with a demand to exercise restraint, consider a risk of non-controlled development of events, not to yield to provokers' actions, and, moreover, not to encourage them.

The human rights activists are also indignant with the "anti-Georgian chauvinistic campaign unleashed in Russia with an outright support of the authorities. Imposition on the citizens of Georgia of a collective responsibility for the actions of their government disliked by Russian leaders is another demonstration of a complete disregard by the Russian authorities of the principles and norms of the law. Bans and restrictions in relation to citizens of a certain country - Georgia in this case - and moreover, to Georgians by their ethnic origin, are nothing else but racial discrimination. We demand from the Russian leadership to take every possible measure to stop the anti-Georgian campaign. Whether the discrimination in relation to Georgians by the law enforcement bodies or other bodies of power was the result of an order from above, or an initiative of rank and file performers, we demand to bring all those guilty to due responsibility."