Elect Those Who Will Consider Javakhq-Armenians’ Interests: Javakhq Movement

On March 27, Javakhk People’s Movement held a conference. Among the participants were 200 current and former members, representatives from NGOs in Javakhq and Javakhq-Armenian public figures.

The participants prepared a statement calling on the Georgian authorities to do the following:
• stop political and judicial persecutions of Javakhq-Armenian political and public figures
• restore justice by reviewing all the unlawful verdicts reached in relation to those people’s activities
• set free Javakhq-Armenian political prisoner Vahagn Chakhalyan
• don’t prevent local self-governing bodies from implementing their duties defined by law
• lift the ban on the use of the Armenian language in all spheres of public life
• grant Armenian regional language status
• privilege the founding of the Armenian-Georgian University in Akhalkalaki with Armenian as the language of study and instruction
• give the Armenian Apostolic Church legal status and return to it all the places of worship that were illegally taken from the Church during Soviet rule

The statement also calls on Javakhq-Armenians to give their vote in the May 30 election of local self-governing bodies to those parties and individuals who will include in their election platforms the above-mentioned problems faced by the Armenian people and will implement solutions to those issues.

The movement also calls on the Georgian authorities not to hinder the participation of those parties in the election who will consider the interests of Javakhq-Armenians, and also ensure a free and fair election.