YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The imprisoned leader of the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" political movement Vahag Chakhalyan made a statement on January 28. The statement reads: "Since the day of its establishment the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" political movement, of which I am the leader, has been seeking solutions to the problems of the Javakheti and Georgian Armenians on the whole. There used to be and there still are a lot of problems to face. The Georgian authorities undertake successive actions to encourage the immigration of the Javakheti Armenians and to change the ethnic picture of the region. Thus, 70% of the students at the State University in Akhalkalaki are ethnic Georgians. Moreover, a Georgian orphanage is established and a big prison is being built in Ninotsminda, attempts to georgianize the Armenian churches are made, new Georgian monasteries are constructed, etc. In Javakheti there is no alternative to using the Georgian language, which is imposed at all levels of social life. The Javakheti Armenians are refused the right to establish an Armenian language based university. After the murder of the ethnic Armenian - Gevorg Gevorgyan in Tsalka region on March 9, 2006, his relatives and friends organized a protest action, which was forcefully broken up by the police. This caused a well-grounded discontent of the Javakheti Armenians. The "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance” placed itself at the head of this wave of protests. After each protest action I, as a leader of the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance", had a meeting with the Georgian authorities. The latter kept on promising to solve the problems regarding the Javakheti Armenians, however, the promises remained unfulfilled. The authorities advised us to refrain from mass protest actions and to pursue our objectives through participation in elections and other democratic processes. The "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" followed this advice. In October 2006 we took part in the elections to the local self-administration bodies, however blatant falsifications of the voting results by the authorities deprived the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" of the opportunity to have any visible participation in the local self-administration bodies. The protest action organized by the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" was put down by police by means of provocation and use of force. Throughout the year 2007 the Georgian authorities had been undertaking successive actions to liquidate the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" and to ensure my political isolation and neutralization. The culmination of these actions became the events that took place in July 17-21, 2008. Today, 6 months after my imprisonment, the Georgian authorities charge me with organizing protest actions in Akhalkalaki in 2006, - the actions by means of which the Javakheti Armenians voiced the problems and issues they were concerned about and requested the Georgian authorities to solve them; -the protest actions during which the Javakheti Armenians voiced their discontent about the blatant falsifications made by the authorities during the elections to the local self-administration bodies, claiming to declare the election results invalid. Thus, in this courtroom I am stating the following: this lawsuit is a farce, and the reason for continuously delaying the trial lies in the fact that the Georgian authorities are afraid of me, as a political activist, who is a mouthpiece for the rights of the Javakheti Armenians. By charging me you charge the Armenian minority of your country. The arrests of Ahaltsikha Armenian activists Grigor Minasyan, and Sargis Hakobjanyan are also the result of this fear. This is a new provocation, which aims to impel the Javakheti Armenians to extremist actions and by this to discredit the peaceful struggle of Javakheti Armenians for their language, educational and religious rights. As in the past, once again I request the Georgian authorities to: Stop all the criminal cases brought against the members of the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance", my relatives and friends, as well as against me. To stop all political and economic persecutions. Release all political prisoners who were arrested for their activities aimed at protection of the rights of the Armenian minority, including - of people arrested in Akhaltsikhe. Cease all the programs aimed at the artificial change of the demographic picture of the Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions. Solve all the linguistic-educational, socio-economic and cultural problems the Armenian Minority of Georgia is concerned about. Register the Armenian Apostolic Church and return it all the churches that have been confiscated during the soviet era. Legally authorize the use of the Armenian language in the work of the local self-administration bodies and in general office work in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions. Give permission for establishing an Armenian university in Akhalkalaki. The Georgian authorities will not be able to solve any problems by means of judicial proceedings and repressions. This will only intensify the discontent. The Javakheti Armenians will continue the struggle for their rights".

---