Georgia

Glossary

Abkhazia
Region of Georgia in the south Caucasus. A Soviet Socialist Republic from 1921 to 1931, and then an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia until 1991, Abkhazia is situated on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. It borders the Russian Federation in the north and Georgia’s Samegrelo (Mingrelia) and Upper Svaneti districts in the east.
Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Abkhazian separatist movement declared independence from Georgia in 1992. Its independence has not been recognised by the international community. As a result of the armed conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians in 1992-1993, thousands of Georgians in Abkhazia fled their homes and moved to other parts of Georgia or abroad. In 1994, a ceasefire agreement was reached, which has since been monitored by UN observers and Russian peacekeeping forces, but attempts to resolve the conflict have so far failed. Some 83 per cent of the territory is controlled by the government of the self-declared republic. The remaining 17 per cent is controlled by the Abkhazian government in exile, whose administration is based in the Kodori Gorge, under the jurisdiction of Georgian government. According to unconfirmed estimates, there are 157,000 to 190,000 people in Abkhazia.

Abkhazian language
A member of the North Caucasian language group. Together with Russian, it is one of the official languages of the unrecognised Abkhazian Autonomous Republic, and also the second official language of Georgia. The Russian alphabet (Cyrillic) is used for writing. Abkhazian is mostly spoken in Abkhazia and in Turkey. Around 100,000 people speak Abkhazian, mostly in Abkhazia and in Turkey.

Abkhazians
A Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a de facto independent republic which is internationally recognised as part of Georgia. A large Abkhazian diaspora – comprised of descendants of emigrants from the late nineteenth century – lives in Turkey. Many Abkhazians also live in other states of the former Soviet Union, particularly in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

Adamon Nykhas
Popular Front, Ossetian nationalist organisation. It demands greater autonomy for South Ossetia, and ultimately its unification with the North Ossetian Republic, which is part of the Russia Federation.

April 9 Tragedy
The April 9 tragedy took place in 1989, when a peaceful anti-Soviet demonstration was held in Tbilisi. The Soviet Army responded by firing into the crowd and using chemicals to disperse demonstrators. 20 demonstrators were killed and hundreds of people were injured. April 9 is an official Georgian public holiday called Day of National Unity.


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Caucasus
A region bordered by the Black Sea in the west, the Caspian Sea in the east, Russia in the north, Turkey in the south-west, and Iran in the south. The Caucasus is one of the most diverse regions in the world in terms of culture and language; it includes the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and various republics within the Russian Federation, including North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan and Stavropol. The region also includes Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh, which all declared independence following the break-up of the Soviet Union, but which have not achieved international recognition.

Civil war in Tbilisi, Georgia
The armed confrontation between the government of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first President of Georgia and his opposition took place from December 21 1991 to January 6 1992. In September 1991, the opposition began demonstrations against the government, and three months of clashes followed. Opposition leaders were arrested by the Georgian police during one of the demonstrations, the headquarters of opposition parties were destroyed and newspapers supporting the opposition were closed down. The main military force, the Georgian National Guard, was divided between the supporters of President Gamsakhurdia and those of his opponents; on December 22, the rebels occupied a number of official buildings and attacked the parliament building where President Gamsakhurdia and his supporters had sought refuge. As a result of the armed clashes, over 100 people were killed and part of downtown Tbilisi was destroyed. On January 6 1992, the President was forced to leave Georgia but went on to lead a government in exile for 18 months, first in Armenia and then in Chechnya.

Collective centre
A building owned by the State or by private owners, where people displaced from Abkhazia or South Ossetia settled or were invited to settle. Approximately half of the displaced population still lives in collective centres.


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Enguri border / Enguri bridge
The agreed administrative division line between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia, which passes along the Enguri River. The border runs between the Gali District and Zugdidi. Officially it is a check point (an administrative boundary within Georgia) but it is referred to as a border by the many narrators of the life stories.

Ergneti
Small village in the Shida Kartli region, a few kilometres from Gori, Ergneti is situated between the conflict zone of South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia. For years, a black market operated in Ergneti, selling oil, food, alcohol, tobacco and wheat imported illegally from Russia. The Georgian government closed the market in 2004.

Ergneti block post
Administrative border between South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia, controlled by several entities: the Special Unit of the Ministry for Security of Georgia on the Georgian side, the Russian peacekeepers at the border, and the Ossetian unit on the Ossetian side.


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Gali / Gali District
Main town of the de facto independent Republic of Abkhazia, as well as the name of the surrounding District. Ethnic Georgians formed the majority of the District’s population until the 1992-1993 war when most of the Georgian population fled following ethnic clashes. Many of those who later returned to Gali fled again in 1998 following renewed clashes.
Some 45,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to Gali District (the number is not verified, but used as an estimate by the Georgian authorities and international agencies working in Georgia). This figure includes IDPs who live in other parts of Georgia but who return to Gali for part of the year. At present, 95 per cent of the population of Gali District are ethnic Georgians. Ethnic Georgian IDPs have been unable to return to other parts of Abkhazia.

Gamsakhurdia, Zviad
(March 31 1939 –December 31 1993) A scientist, writer, politician and one of the leaders of the national liberation and human rights movements in Georgia. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, he became the first, independently elected President of Georgia in 1991. In 1976 Gamsakhurdia spearheaded the creation of the Georgian Helsinki Group, which secretly spread information about violations of human rights in Georgia. He was also the first member of Amnesty International from Georgia, and was often arrested for his activities, and even exiled, which raised his international profile. He later returned to Georgia, and was one of the leaders of the peaceful demonstrations in April 1989 against the Soviet regime which were severely repressed by the Soviet army. Once President, he faced a strong opposition, who judged his behaviour dictatorial and too harsh towards ethnic minorities in Georgia.

In September 1991, armed clashes between Gamsakhurdia’s supporters and opponents erupted in Tbilisi and continued for the next three months. In January 1993, he fled Georgia and found refuge in Armenia first, and later in Chechnya, where he led a government in exile. His return to Georgia in September 1993 and establishment of a government in Zugdidi, western Georgia, led to the resumption of civil war, as Gamsakhurdia’s supporters occupied Poti, an important trade port. Soon afterwards, Georgia joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In 1993, Russia sent about 2,000 soldiers to support the government of Shevardnadze, who had been President since Gamsakhurdia was forced to leave power. Zugdidi fell and Gamsakhurdia died in unclear circumstances. In February 1994, Gamsakhurdia’s body was buried in Grozny, Chechnya, but in March 2007, his remains were brought to Tbilisi and buried in the Mtatsminda Pantheon beside other distinguished Georgian public figures.

Georgian language
Belongs to a south Caucasian language group that includes Megrelian, Svanetian and Lazian languages. Georgian is spoken by about four million people wordwide; it is the official language of Georgia, and is also spoken in Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia. There are three significantly different Georgian alphabets: Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri and Mkhedruli. The modern Georgian language uses the Mkhedruli alphabet.

Georgian-Abkhazian conflict
The, Georgian-Abkhazian conflict referees to the conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians in 1992-1993 in the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic. One of the main reasons for the conflict was the disagreement over the status of Abkhazia after the collapse of the Soviet regime and Georgia’s declaration of independence. The war between the Georgians and separatist armed forces lasted for 13 months. The Abkhazian side received some military support from the Russian Federation, although this has not been officially acknowledged by the Russians. About 10,000 people died during the conflict, and some 300,000 ethnic Georgians fled the region. A ceasefire was agreed in May 1994 under the auspices of the UN, and Russian peacekeeping troops were subsequently deployed. An agreement was also signed between the Abkhazian, Georgian and Russian authorities and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to facilitate the voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees to Abkhazia, but this agreement has so far not been implemented at the beginning of 2008. The Georgians view this as a patriotic war, which aimed to restore the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, while the Abkhazians consider it a war of liberation against Georgian aggression.

Georgian-Ossetian conflict
The conflict in Georgia’s former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia, which started in 1989 and developed into a civil war in 1991-1992. About 3,000 people died in the war, and some 62,000 people, both ethnic Georgian and South Ossetian, fled or were forcibly displaced in Georgia and abroad. About 11,000 became IDPs in Georgia, and 50,000 became refugees, mostly in Russia. As a result of the conflict, 10,000 ethnic South Ossetians who were living in Georgia proper found refuge in collective centres in South Ossetia’s main town, Tskhinvali.
Despite a ceasefire agreement and a number of peace efforts, the conflict remains unresolved in 2008. The central Georgian government still controls some parts of South Ossetia.


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IDP schools (officially Abkhazian public schools)
Public schools under the responsibility of the Abkhazian Ministry of Education and Culture in exile. These schools opened between 1994 and 1998, mostly close to collective centres housing internally displaced people (IDPs), in response to the lack of education opportunities for IDPs and the crowding of local schools. The majority of teachers as well as students are IDPs. These schools, while being physically segregated, follow the standard curriculum used in Georgia.

Internally displaced persons / IDPs
According to the UN’s Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, IDPs are “persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognised State border.”


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Lower Gali zone
An area in Gali District close to Enguri check point and bridge. From 1992 to 2000, this area was known for harbouring a guerrilla movement.


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March 9 Massacre
On March 9 1956, the Soviet army crushed peaceful anti-Soviet demonstrations led by students campaigning for the restoration of Georgia’s independence, causing several deaths.

May Events / Gali Events
In April and May 1998, the conflict erupted when Abkhazian security forces entered Gali District in order to support separatist elections. Fighting between Abkhazians and Georgians erupted; hundreds of people were killed before a ceasefire was agreed on May 20.

Megrelian
One of the sub-groups of the Georgian nation.

Megrelian language
One of the Kartvelian (south Caucasian) language group. According to unconfirmed data, 100,000 to 400,000 people speak Megrelian, mostly in Western Georgia. While different from the Georgian language, it is written with the Georgian alphabet. Megrelian is mostly used in day-to-day communication, while Georgian is the official state language.

Mkhedrioni
A Georgian paramilitary group and political organisation formed in 1989 by Jaba Ioseliani. Mkhedrioni presented itself as the historic successor to the Georgian guerrillas fighting against Persian, Turk and Russian occupants. By 1991, Mkhedrioni boasted 8,000 members, more than the National Guard, the official army unit. Mkhedrioni members were increasingly viewed as armed thugs who used force to intimidate their political opponents. They particularly targeted “Zviadists” in Samegrelo, the supporters of Gamsakhurdia, the first President of Georgia. Officially outlawed in 1995, Mkhedrioni became a political party, The Union of Patriots.

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National Guard
Main military force in Georgia after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The National Guard was involved in Georgian politics from 1992, when it forcibly opposed supporters of the first President of Georgia and violated their rights. The National Guard was often uncontrolled, and it was dissolved in 1993 by Shevardnadze, the second President of Georgia.

November 23 Events
In 1989 the Supreme Soviet of South Ossetia took a decision to unite with North Ossetia. This decision was then revoked by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. On November 23, thousands of Georgian nationalists led by future President Gamsakhurdia and other opposition leaders tried to hold a meeting in Tskhinvali, the main town of South Ossetia. They could not reach the town as Ossetians blocked the roads, and Soviet army units intervened to avoid clashes between the two sides. In later clashes between ethnic Ossetians and Georgians, several people were injured.


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Ossetian language
Belongs to the eastern Iranian language group of the Indo-European language family. About 700,000 people speak Ossetian, 60 per cent in North Ossetia and 20 per cent in South Ossetia. The Ossetian language uses the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet. Together with Russian, it is used at schools in both North and South Ossetia.

Ossetians
Iranian ethnic group from Ossetia, region in the North Caucasian mountains. Ossetians live in North Ossetia in the Russia Federation and in South Ossetia, which is a de facto independent republic but is internationally recognised as part of Georgia.


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Privatisation of collective centres housing IDPs
The sale of collective centres to private investors began in 2004. Many displaced people were resettled although there was no concerted resettlement policy. As a result some IDPs were forcefully evicted, for example from the “Iveria” Hotel in Tbilisi and from centres in Ajara Region.

Investors buy the buildings through tender, in a procedure controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. IDPs evicted receive monetary compensation from the investor, in 2004 around $7,000 per room. While compensation has since increased, it is still considered insufficient to find decent accommodation.

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Refugee
According to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who flees his country “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it”.

In everyday life, IDPs who fled from separatist territories of Georgia often describe themselves as refugees in their native language. There is an assumption that this is partly due to the lack of awareness about the legal definitions and differences between refugees and IDPs, but some link the term refugee with their identities and use it to express how they have experienced living in displacement and how they see themselves.

Republic of North Ossetian /Alania
Republic within the Russian Federation, mostly comprised of ethnic Ossetians. Russians, Ingushetians, Armenians, Georgians, Ukrainians and Chechens also live in North Ossetia. The main languages spoken are Ossetian and Russian.


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Samegrelo (Mingrelia)
Historic administrative and territorial unit in western Georgia, also known as Odishi. Samegrelo borders with Abkhazia in the northwest, Svaneti in the north, Imereti in the east, Guria in the south and the Black Sea in the west.

Shevardnadze, Eduard
(1928- ), Georgian politician, who became the second President of Georgia in 1995 and was relected for a second term in 1998. Shevardnadze joined the Communist Party in 1948 and became a member of the Supreme Soviet (legislature) of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) in 1959. In 1968 he advanced to the post of Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, which he occupied until 1972.

In 1985, he was nominated Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, a post from which he resigned in 1990. In 1992, after Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia was forced from office and the presidency was abolished, Shevardnadze was chosen to lead the newly independent Republic of Georgia as acting chairman of the State Council. Later that year he was elected chairman by direct referendum after winning about 90 per cent of the popular vote.

When the Presidency was restored in 1995, he was elected with 70 per cent of the vote. He secured a second term in April 2000 in an election that was marred by widespread claims of vote-rigging. On November 2 2003, Georgia held a parliamentary election that was widely denounced as unfair by international election observers. The outcome leaded to mass demonstrations in the capital Tbilisi and elsewhere. Protesters broke into Parliament on November 21 as the first session of the new Parliament was beginning, forcing President Shevardnadze to escape with his bodyguards. He later declared a state of emergency. On November 23 Shevardnadze announced his resignation, declaring that he wished to avert a bloody power struggle.

South Ossetia
In 1922, during the Soviet regime, the Georgian government formed the South Ossetian Autonomous Region. At present, the larger part of South Ossetian republic is controlled by the de facto government (which is not internationally recognised). The Georgian government controls a small part of South Ossetia. In April 2007, the Georgian government formed the Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia headed by an ethnic Ossetian. The unrecognised republic held a first referendum on independence in 1992 and a second in November 2006. Both showed an overwhelming majority in favour of South Ossetian independence, but were not recognised internationally.

Russian is the main administrative language; during the Soviet period South Ossetia enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy as an autonomous republic, and the Ossetian language was taught at schools. At present there are about 70,000 inhabitants of South Ossetia.

Soviet Union
The Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (also known as the Soviet Union), which had a constitutional socialist system, existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991. The Soviet Union was composed of 15 republics, among them Georgia. They were part of the centralised federal union largely dominated by the Russian Federation.

Sukhumi
Capital of the de facto independent Republic of Abkhazia, which is internationally recognised as part of Georgia.


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Tbilisi
The capital of Georgia since the sixth century. Georgia’s largest city, it is also the main industrial, social and cultural centre of the country. It is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia as well as on the “Silk Road” route. About 1,090,000 people live in Tbilisi.

Trotskyism
Movement of the followers of Leon Trotski (1979-1940), a Russian revolutionary, an influential politician and a Marxist. An important representative of the Bolshevik party in the early period of the Soviet Union, he actively promoted socialist ideas among the workers. His followers were called Trotskyites.

Tskhinvali
Capital of the de facto independent Republic of South Ossetia. The international community considers it as part of Georgia. According to the current administrative divisions of Georgia, Tskhinvali is a town in the Shida Kartli region.


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Vladikavkaz
Capital of the North Ossetian Republic of the Russian Federation.


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Zviadists
Informal name of the supporters of Zviad Gamsakhurdia (see glossary entry), the first President of Georgia. Clashes between his supporters and opponents resulted in the Civil War of 1992-1993. The Zviadists held mass demonstrations against the Shevardnadze government which came to power following the coup against Gamsakhurdia, and offered armed resistance to the entry of government forces to Samegrelo.

The Zviadists considered the existing government illegitimate and expressed their opposition by means of spontaneous demonstrations, which were severely repressed by government forces and the paramilitary Mkhedrioni, which committed numerous human rights violations in Samegrelo (Mingrelia) and triggered additional clashes between the local population and the Shevardnadze government. In 1993, Gamsakhurdia returned to Georgia; the Zviadists were defeated, and Gamsakhurdia died. After his death, the Zviadists did not form a political party, but some of them continued their struggle against Shevardnadze.

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