Discrimination

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Azerbaijan

The name game in Azerbaijan: protection or discrimination?

by Rahim Shaliyev

•6 min read

Azerbaijan’s list of banned names for newborn babies is supposed to protect children from ‘ridicule, revulsion, and humiliation’. But with names like ‘Talysh’ and those commonly used by Russian speakers included on the list, many suspect the true purpose of the country’s naming policies is ethnic discrimination. ‘It made me feel insulted’, Ali Nazarov, a resident of Baku of Talysh origins says of the decision 5 years ago to ban the name ‘Talysh’ for newborns in Azerbaijan. ‘Is there even anybo

Armenia

Voice | ‘Our families are as holy as yours’ — stories of acceptance

by OC Media

•10 min read

Despite widespread homophobic attitudes throughout the Caucasus, there are some queer people who find acceptance for who they are — from their co-workers, their friends, and their families. Below are the stories of three queer people, from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Drago — a stage pseudonym — is a 17-year-old boy from Rustavi, Georgia. He is a make-up artist, a fashion model, and a drag performer. Everywhere he walks, he gets unapologetic looks — openly wearing women’s attire, with

Adjara

Court begins hearing Batumi mosque appeal after 2-year standstill

by OC Media

•4 min read

A court in the city of Batumi, on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, has begun considering a lawsuit brought by a group of Muslims against the city authorities over their refusal to grant a construction permit for a mosque. Proceedings at the Batumi City Court commenced on Wednesday after negotiations between the local Muslim community and city officials broke down. The Mosque Construction Fund first addressed the court in June 2017, after their application for a construction permit was rejected

Armenia

Trans woman ejected from Armenian parliament after appeal to MPs

by Armine Avetisyan

•4 min read

A transgender human rights activist was asked to leave Armenia’s parliament, the National Assembly, after giving an impassioned speech to MP’s calling for more protection for transgender people in the country. Lilit Martirosyan made her speech from the chair of the National Assembly on 5 April during a parliamentary hearing on the Human Rights in Armenia. ‘I appeal to you from the chair of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, as a transgender woman’, Martirosyan said. She ask

Discrimination

Transgender women ‘kicked out of’ Machakhela restaurant in Tbilisi as ‘unwanted clients’

by OC Media

•3 min read

Two transgender women were denied entry into a Tbilisi branch of restaurant chain Machakhela, being told they were ‘unwanted clients’. The women said they were discriminated against because of their gender identity, a claim the restaurant’s management has denied. A video posted on Facebook on 4 April showed one of the women asking the restaurant’s security why they were denied entry; he responded that they were ‘unwanted guests’ because they were blacklisted. The video also showed him sayin

Council of Europe

Council of Europe Racism Commission criticises Georgia’s state religious agency

by OC Media

•4 min read

The Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has criticised Georgia’s State Agency for Religious Issues for failing to fulfil its recommendations. In a report published on Tuesday, the ECRI reiterated concerns raised by local human rights groups who deemed that the State Agency of Religious Issues was more of a ‘mechanism to control minority religious organisations, rather than an impartial institution’. The ECRI is an independent human rights monitoring body s

Abkhazia

Equal and more equal: Abkhazia’s passport policy

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•6 min read

As the issuance of new passports continues in Abkhazia, many non–ethnic Abkhaz — ethnic Armenians, Russians, Georgians, and others — fear the reason behind the new regulations is to deprive them of citizenship. Ruslan Yaylyan, an ethnic Armenian from Abkhazia’s capital of Sukhum, told OC Media that when he applied for a new passport last year it was his second time applying for an Abkhazian passport and he did not expect any problems. However, ten days after submitting the required docum