Court rules against Agausians trapped in Ukraine

Author:  Ant́oli Svórod

Tamara - More than four months ago Russia did something that the world denied would happen when they launched their invasion of Ukraine. On that day foreigners in Ukraine were forced to make a decision, flee or try to weather the storm. 

Agausians abroad were urged by the government to return home just days before the attack, but as the invasion progressed the situation in the east of Ukraine and in the capital Kyiv, Agausians in the country faced fewer and fewer options.     

Anželiḱa Grigoriaḱa was attending the Taras Shevchenko National University of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine at the time of the invasion. After spending several days trapped in the war-torn region of Luhansk Grigoriaḱa was able to escape to Mariupol, where she was able to take a ferry home. In her account Grigoriaḱa recalls sheltering from bombings and fleeing from Russian machinegun fire. 

It was Grigoriaḱa's father that filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Integration stating that the Ministry caused irreparable harm to his daughter by not providing her with safe passage out of Ukraine. After the suit was filed an additional eight people joined the filing - all Agausian citizens who were trapped in Ukraine. 

In April a lower court found that the government's response to the crisis was, "lacking in all aspects," and that, "issuing a statement is not equivocal to supporting Agausians in need." That ruling was then challenged by the government.  

 

On Thursday the Supreme Administrative Court overruled the lower court's decision and ruled in favor of the ministry. In a 3-2 decision, with Chief Justice Ḱvet́ḱovi writing for the majority, and St́elevi for the dissenting opinion. Ḱvet́ḱovi wrote:

"Given the circumstances on the ground during the events, the majority opinion holds that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Integration did everything in their power to ensure that Ms. Grigoriaḱa and all Agausians would return home safe. Evermore, both the President of Agausia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Integration issued a statement urging all citizens to return home. Thoes who did not comply did so at their own risk."

The dissenting opinion agreed with the original ruling and cited that Grigoriaḱa, like many other Agausians were not even provided with free transport home. St́elevi wrote, "the government could have had the decency to at least provided those fleeing war with free and safe passage home, either by boat or by air. No such concessions have been made."    

 

  (Agausian Translation)

Otk tveze met́i knis tsën Rusetma iseti ram gaaḱeta, rasatsëâ msoplio ûarḱopda, rom mokdeboda, rodesatsëâ mat Ûḱrainaši šečra daitsëḱes. Im ǵhes Ûḱrainaši mḱopi ûtsëkoelebi ižulebulni iḱvnen mëǵot gadatsëḱvet́ileba, gaktsëliḱvnen an tsëdilobdnen kariškals gûžlo.

Sazǵvargaret mtsëkovreb Agûselebs mtavroba mótsëdebda dabrunebuliḱvnen saklši tavdaskmamde ramdenime ǵhit adre, magram šečris ṕrogresirebastan ertad sit́uatsëâ Ûḱrainis aǵmosavletsëhi da dedakalak Ḱëvši, kveḱanaši Agûsëlebi sul ûpro da ûpro naḱleb varânt́s atsëḱdebodnen.

Šečris dros Anželiḱa Grigoriaḱa aǵmosavlet Ûḱrainaši, lugansḱis t́aras ševčenḱos erovnul ûniversit́et́ši stsëavlobda. Omis šedegad ganaǵurebul lugansḱis regionši kapangši ramdenime ǵhis gat́arebis šemdeg grigorâham šežlo mariuṕolši gaktsëva, sadatsëâ bornit saklši tsëaḱvana šežlo. Grigoriaḱa tavis angarišši iksenebs tavšesapars dabombvisgan da gaktsëvas Rusé t́ḱvâmprkvevis tsëtsëklisgan.

Stsëred Grigoriaḱas mamam šeit́ana sarčeli sagareo sakmeta da int́egratsëës saminist́ros tsënaaǵmdeg da ganatsëkada, rom saminist́rom gamóstsërebeli zâni mâḱena mis kališvils ûḱrainidan ûsaprtkho gasvlis ûzrunvelsaḱopad. Sarčelis šet́anis šemdeg, sakmes šeuertda damat́ebit rva adamâni - Agûsës ḱvela mokalake, romelitsë ûḱrainaši iḱo čarčenili.

Aṕrilši kveda sasamartlom daaǵina, rom mtavrobis ṕasukhi ḱrizisze iḱo „ḱvela asṕekt́ši naḱleboba“ da rom „gantsëkadebis gatsëma ar aris orazrovani gačirvebaši mḱopi Agûsebis mkardačeraši“. Šemdeg es gadatsëḱvet́ileba mtavrobam gaasačivra.

Kutsëhabatsëâ ûzenésma administ́ratsëlma sasamartlom gaûkma kveda sasamartlos gadatsëḱvet́ileba da saminist́ros sasargeblod mëǵo gadatsëḱvet́ileba. 3-2 gadatsëḱvet́ilebit, mtavari mosamartle Ḱvet́ḱovi tsërda ûmravlesobistvis, kholo St́elevi ganskvavebé azristvis. Ḱvet́ḱovi tsë’erda:

„ Movlenebis dros aǵilze arsebé garemoebebis gatvalistsënebit, ûmravlesobis azrit, sagareo sakmeta da int́egratsëës saminist́rom ḱvelaperi gaaḱeta imistvis, rom kalbat́oni Grigoriaḱa da ḱvela Agûsëlebi ûsaprtkhod dabrunebuliḱvnen sakhlši. Sagareo sakmeta da int́egratsëës saminist́rom gaavrtsëla gantsëkadeba da mótsëda ḱvela mokalakes, dabrundnen saklši. Vintsë ar šeasrula es gaaḱeta saḱutari risḱis kveš."

Ganskhvavebé azri etankmeboda tavdaṕirvel gadatsëḱvet́ilebas da mohḱavdat, rom grigorâhas, iseve rogortsëâ bevr skva agavsels, saklši ûpaso t́ransṕort́itsëâ ḱi ar hkondat ûzrunvelḱopili. St́elevi tsërda: "kelisuplebas šëžlo hkonoda tsësëreba, rom omidan gaktsëlebs maintsëâ mëtsëdebina tavisupali da ûsaprtko gza saklši, navit an sahéro gzit. Aseti datmoba ar gaḱetebula."