11:24, 28 October 2006

North Ossetian parliament states genocide of Ossetians by Georgia

The parliament of North Ossetia adopted an appeal to the Russian State Duma on the fact of genocide of the Ossetian nation by the Georgian leadership, the ITAR-TASS reports. "The scale and systematic nature of repressions against the Ossetian people in Georgia are giving grounds to conclude that these repressions have a character of genocide and are covered by the Convention of December 9, 1948, on prevention of genocide crimes and punishment for genocide," runs the text of the adopted appeal.

The appeal comprises a request "to take all legitimate measures to bring to the knowledge of the world community the facts of decades-long genocide of the Ossetian people by national-extremist forces of Georgia."

We remind you that earlier Eduard Kokoity, president of South Ossetia, declared: "There was no inter-ethnic conflict between Ossetia and Georgia, but there was genocide of the Ossetian people."