Flashback to NYT, 1991: "Georgia for Georgians"

[noamnety]

Already 83,000 Ossetians -- half of Georgia's Ossetian population -- have fled through the snow-capped mountains to the safety of the North Ossetia Autonomous Republic in the Russian republic, according to a refugee committee based in North Ossetia that has registered the refugees.

(snip)

In interviews, Georgian officials make little effort to hide their distaste for Ossetians. "When winter comes, the authorities will probably turn off the gas and electricity again," said a uniformed Georgian police colonel who joined the sullen young men under the shade trees. "When there are shortages around the republic, why waste commodities on them?"

(snip)

Moving forcefully against the minority, Mr. Gamsakhurdia abolished South Ossetia's political autonomy, blocked Ossetian candidates from running for Georgia's Congress, and imprisoned several Ossetian leaders, including the region's former chairman, Torez Kolombegov. On Thursday, Mr. Kolombegov is scheduled to be tried on charges of inciting ethnic hatred.

Playing his own ethnic card, Mr. Gamsakhurdia has campaigned for "Georgia for Georgians" -- a nation where mixed marriages would be discouraged, where its citizenship would be restrictd to people who could prove residence prior to Russia's annexation of 1801, and where property rights would be limited to people who voted for national independence in a referendum in April.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE2D7123CF931A35753C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

[Muttocracy]

1. thanks very much for posting this - the media has a short memory. nt

[David Dunham]

2. Shortly after this the Georgians overthrew Gamsakhurdia because he's a nut

[noamnety]

3. I posted this because

on another forum, when I used the phrase "ethnic cleansing" someone felt that was way out of line to use that phrase in response to "one bombing." I mentioned that it was a pattern of bombing, not a one time thing, and referenced that slogan from the 90's.

They responded that if that accusation was true, both the slogan and the destruction of villages in Ossetia, it would have been reported and it's odd that the accusation only now just appeared. So my point here is that ethnic hatred was alive, sponsored by the government and enforced through government policies and military action not so long ago - and it was reported.

I find it unlikely that a population would have transitioned from ethnic bigotry to no ethnic bigotry in so short a time. (speaking in trends here, not for all individuals).

If I were in an area where official government policy was to remove my rights and eradicate my population based on ethnicity 10 years ago, I would call that ethnic cleansing. If a new and improved elected leader came now and did the same thing, I would have a difficult time seeing it as anything else.

(This is separate from economic and US motivations to be involved - multiple factors at work here.)

[annabanana]

4. "it would have been reported "

This person has WAY too much faith in corpomedia...

[noamnety]

5. Yes, that's true.

Too much faith in corporate media, and too much faith in the American public if he thought a mention in the media would get more than a collective shrug of apathy from the general masses.

[daleo]

6. Prove residence prior to 1801

That would be tough, considering the person would have had to have been 191 years old at the time.

[noamnety]

7. I thought it was a typo at first

but then I realized no, they really meant that - through land deeds or some other kinds of records I guess. I couldn't trace back where my family was in 1801!