Georgia
Politicized birth registration practices as part of conflict / contests over territory
In Georgia, in the Russian-occupied territories of Tskhinvali/South Ossetia, residents have been forced to obtain Russian citizenship. An ethnic cleansing of people of Georgian descent in Russian-occupied regions led to internal displacement of thousands within Georgia. The Georgian residents of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, an area contested since 1993, have seen their status progressively reduced. Registering births isn’t possible for ethnic Georgians living in Abkhazia without an Abkhaz passport. Abkhazian authorities insist ethnic Georgian parents obtain Abkhazian birth certificates, but Georgia does not recognize them and insists on issuing its own. This is part of a broader process of weaponization of documentation, through which Abkhazia has manufactured ethnic Georgians as foreigners in the territory where they have long lived. Between 2006 to 2013, Abkhazian authorities issued passports to ethnic Georgians. Issuance of these passports was discontinued in 2013. In 2016 Abkhazian authorities introduced foreign residence permits, which were extended into mid-2021 without a clear legal framework. These issues persisted in 2024 according to a UN General Assembly report.
