On 7 December 2010, proxy leader of Tskhinvali Region, Eduard Kokoity, adopted a "decree" that invalidates right of property of ethnic Georgian inhabitants of the occupied Akhalgori District. The property of ethnic Georgians, including the IDPs, shall be transferred to the proxy authorities.

With an apparent aim of depriving the ethnic Georgian inhabitants of the municipality all basic means and sources for existence this act constitutes a new step in the policy of ethnic cleansing pursued by the Russian Federation in the occupied territories of Georgia through the proxy regime under its effective control.

The named act will further aggravate ethnic tensions within the district and negatively affect the ongoing efforts of Georgia and international community to stabilize the situation in the region.

This illegal decision of the Russian controlled proxy regime represents continuation of the policy of persecution of ethnic Georgians in Tskhinvali Region, through, inter alia, expulsion from their houses, deprivation of property rights and the denial of the right to return. It represents a clear violation of Russia's international legal obligations, including but not limited to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the Order of the International Court of Justice of 15 October 2008, requesting the Russian Federation to ensure that the rights (including the property rights) guaranteed by the CERD are secured for everyone without discrimination.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia calls upon the international community to condemn the violations of the rights of ethnic Georgians in the occupied Tskhinvali Region.

Tbilisi, 9 December 2010