ConclusionBy late November 2006, the Russian government’s campaign against Georgians had largely subsided. Although short-lived, the crackdown nevertheless significantly affected Georgians in Russia. According to the Georgian embassy in Russia, by January 15, 2007, Russian courts had taken 4,634 decisions on the expulsion of Georgians. On the basis of these decisions, Russian authorities expelled 2,380 Georgians,222 and the remaining 2,254 Georgians receiving expulsion orders departed Russia by their own means.223 An unknown number of other Georgians left Russia either to rejoin family members who had been expelled, because they were no longer able to find work, or because they no longer felt welcome in Russia. Russian authorities continued to pursue more aggressive measures against irregular immigrants and employers hiring immigrant workers without work permits, reporting on May 25, 2007, that 56,000 irregular immigrants had been expelled from the country since the changes to the law on migration came into effect on January 15, 2007.224 On March 26, 2007 the Georgian government filed an interstate complaint against Russia before the European Court of Human Rights. Although the European Court most frequently decides on applications lodged by individuals against states that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights, article 33 of the ECHR allows states to bring complaints against other states. 225 In addition, 13 Georgian individuals filed a European Court application against Russia with the assistance of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, a Georgian NGO. The application is currently pending.226 222 “Conclusions of the Ad Hoc Commission of the Parliament of Georgia to Study Acts committed by the Russian Federation towards Citizens of Georgia,” February 22, 2007, on file with Human Rights Watch. 223 Human Rights Watch phone interview with Zurab Pataradze, Consul of Georgia to Russia, Moscow, September 5, 2007. 224 “Since the beginning of the year about 56 thousand foreigners have been expelled from Russia- FMS [Federal Migration Service],” (S nachala goda iz Rossii vydvoreny okolo 56 tys. innostranikh grazhdan- FMS), Interfax, May 25, 2007, http://www.interfax.ru/r/B/politics/2.html?id_issue=11754561 (accessed May 28, 2007). 225 “Inter-state application brought by Georgia against the Russian Federation,” European Court of Human Rights press release, March 27, 2007, http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?action=html&documentId=814710&portal=hbkm&source=externalbydocnumber&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649 (accessed June 11, 2007). The European Court has taken decisions in only three interstate cases, since the establishment of the European Court in 1959. The Georgian government alleges that the actions of the Russian authorities in late 2006 “amounted to a pattern of official conduct giving rise to specific and continuing breaches of the [ECHR],” including the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment, the right to liberty, the right to respect for private and family life, prohibition of discrimination, right to education, prohibition of collective expulsion of aliens and procedural safeguards relating to expulsion of aliens. 226 Chokheli and others v. Russia, (no. 16369/07). |