The member organisations of the civil platform "No Phobias!" submitted an alternative report on the implementation of the Framework Convention by Georgia to the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities.
The alternative report was submitted to the Advisory Committee within the framework of the 4th cycle of monitoring the implementation of the convention. During this cycle, namely on May 15-19, 2023, the committee's delegation will visit Georgia for monitoring. After the 4th monitoring cycle, the Committee will deliver an evaluation of Georgia's compliance with the Framework Convention.
The submitted alternative report assesses the Georgian authorities' compliance with the Convention. The document draws upon the 4th report submitted by the Georgian government to the committee, the 3rd opinion on Georgia issued by the advisory committee, the most recent resolution endorsed by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers concerning the Framework Convention's implementation, and other pertinent materials related to the legal status of national minorities.
The alternative opinion disusses issues such as:
Public awareness regarding anti-discrimination legislation and legal mechanisms for rights restoration and protection;
Engagement of civil society in the execution of the 2021-2023 state strategy for civil equality and integration, with a specific focus on contributing to the formulation of the 2023-2024 action plan;
The matter of transferring/allocating buildings/places for worship, with a specific emphasis on the hindrance of constructing a new mosque by the Batumi City Hall;
Property restitution process for religious organizations;
Activities of the State Agency for Religious Affairs and inappropriate cooperation with religious organizations;
the practice of alleged illegal surveillance of religious persons by the government;
Local and international assessment of the cancellation of the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia;
Flawed execution of justice and investigations in incidents of hate crimes, encompassing the murder of Vitaly Safarov and the incidents involving threats against Samira Bairamova;
Participation and representation of national minorities in political life (parliament and self-governments);
Discrimination and inappropriate policies in the management of the Covid pandemic, in particular towards migrants and ethnic and religious minorities;
Access to and the quality of education for national minorities;
Incidents of proselytism within schools;
Instances of anti-Semitism.
The civil platform "No Phobias!" was established on May 7, 2014, by a consortium of thirteen non-governmental organizations. Its primary objective is to foster close collaboration among these organisations, with the aim of eradicating all forms of hate speech and discrimination in the realm of Georgian politics and media. The platform's mission is to identify instances of intolerance, hate speech, and discrimination in public domains, combat them, and encourage active community participation in the cultivation of a more tolerant environment. The platform upholds values such as tolerance, pluralism, equality, mutual respect, and solidarity. At present, it comprises 16 member organizations and receives financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the "Unity in Diversity" program, implemented in conjunction with the United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG) and its partners.
