Publication

This working paper analyzes the situation in the multi-ethnic Georgian rayon of Ninotsminda. It is based on 70 interviews with local inhabitants, authorities and other related parties as well as legal documents and analytical articles. Special attention is given to the conditions of the Dukhobors, a Russian ethno-religious group that has inhabited the Ninotsminda rayon since the 1840s. This paper also provides a background to Dukhoborian history in Georgia, as well as a short socio-economic overview of Samtskhe-Javakheti in general and Ninotsminda in particular. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for future actions.