MethodologyThis report is based on interviews conducted in Tbilisi, Georgia in December 2006 and in Moscow, Russia in December 2006 and March 2007. Human Rights Watch researchers interviewed 16 Georgians expelled from Russia and their relatives, Georgian nationals residing in Russia, Russian and Georgian human rights organizations, lawyers, staff at the Moscow office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Georgian government officials, and Russian government officials. We have indicated where the names of individuals interviewed by Human Rights Watch were changed upon their request to protect their safety. When writing this report, Human Rights Watch also referenced two reports which also documented cases of Georgians in Russia who were detained and expelled: “Report from an International Research Mission: Migrants in Russia,” published jointly by the La Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) and Grazhdanskoe Sodestvie (Civic Assistance Committee) on July 26, 2007 and “Conclusions of the Ad Hoc Commission of the Parliament of Georgia to Study Acts committed by the Russian Federation towards Citizens of Georgia,” published in February 22, 2007. |