On September 23, 2022, the representatives of the Social Justice Center held a legal aid meeting for the residents of Pankisi Gorge and provided the interested persons with legal advice on issues important to them. The meeting was held with the support of USAID Rule of Law program.

The meeting revealed that the issue of obtaining Georgian citizenship is problematic for many locals. The majority of these persons immigrated to Georgia after the Russia – Chechnya war and were granted refugee status, as a result of which they continued to live in Georgia with their families. Although they have been legally residing in Georgia for years, additionally, they work, have family members who are Georgian citizens and have close ties with the country, they were repeatedly refused to receive Georgian citizenship without any justification. According to the local grassroots organization “Kakheti Regional Development Foundation”, more than 100 refugees from Chechnya have citizenship problems. In this reality, stateless persons lack the opportunity to receive benefits associated with Georgian citizenship (social assistance, universal insurance, etc.), which further aggravates their social-economic situation.

Registration of land ownership rights was named as another important challenge during the meeting held within the clinic.

The representatives of the Social Justice Center provided locals with detailed legal aid, while in 3 cases, they started seeking and analyzing additional information concerning the issues of restoration, acquisition and preservation of Georgian citizenship, which will create the possibility to provide legal assistance.

According to the local population taking part in the meeting, it is vitally important to have clarity on legal issues and receive qualified assistance, therefore, they welcome such types of meetings.

The Social Justice Center continues holding legal aid meetings in different regions of Georgia, including ethnically and religiously diverse cities and villages.