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Repatriated Meskhs Have Residence Problems

March 11, 2015
Maka Shamugia

In the conference hall of Human Rights House Tbilisi, representatives of Human Rights House Tbilisi and Samtskhe-Javakheti regional association Tolerant held press-conference about the residential problems of the repatriated Meskhs.

The victimized people Yunus Arifov and Muslim Arifov also participated in the press-conference.

It is noteworthy that Muslim Arifov is citizen of Georgia but his wife Dilara Arifova and his son Yunus Arifov were refused to get residential permit in Georgia.

“Since 2012 up to now 1 400 persons received status of repatriate; 90% of them live abroad. We decided to come here because of the problems of the repatriated Meskhs in Georgia,” chairwoman of Tolerant Tsira Meskhishvili said.

Yunus Arifov is citizen of Azerbaijan; he has been living in Georgia for 8 years already. He had applied to the State of Azerbaijan to stop his citizenship but they refused. Besides that, Yunus Arifov’s two-year term to live in Georgia is expiring. It is noteworthy that Arifov owns a plot and a house in Samtskhe-Javakheti region, where his family lives.

Human rights defenders said the Government of Georgia granted repatriate status to the Arifovs after they received the citizenship based on the president’s decree. The decree will go in force after Yunus Arifov and Dilara Arifova leave Azerbaijan citizenship.

Yunus Arifov has applied to the State Service Development Agency at the Ministry of Justice for the residential permit in Georgia; however on February 11, 2015 he received refusal from the Agency.

“Although I am citizen of Georgia and has lived here for eight years, we received refusal on the applications of my wife and son for the residential permit in Georgia. They also added that my wife and son are dangerous people for the country,” Muslim Arifov said.

Since the Counter Intelligence Department evaluated presence of the Arifovs in the territory of Georgia dangerous, we have to appeal to the court.

“Due to unclear reasons, the State Service Development Agency of the Ministry of Justice refused them to grant residential permits saying that the Counter Intelligence Department evaluated their presence in the territory of Georgia dangerous. Now, we have to appeal to the court to obtain residence permit for the Arifovs’ family,” said lawyer Eka Kobesashvili of Human Rights Center.

Lawyer of Human Rights House Tbilisi has already sent application to the court about the case of Yunus Arifov and Dilara Arifovas. 

According to the regional association Tolerant, 140 repatriated Meskhs have problems of residence in Georgia; 52 of them live in Samtskhe-Javakheti region.  

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