E/CN.4/2004/63/Add.1 page 5 I. HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL SETTING 9. Georgia, with a population of about 5.5 million, extends over an area of 69,700 sq km. The population is 70.1 per cent Georgian, 8.1 per cent Armenian, 6.3 per cent Russian and 5.7 per cent Azeri. The country is geographically very varied and also has a unique language and culture. 10. In 1783, King Irakli II placed Georgia under Russian protection, and Tsar Paul I of Russia annexed the country in 1801. The monarchy was abolished at that time and the Georgian Orthodox Autocephalous Church was placed under the authority of the Russian Synod. 11. Between 1918 and 1921, after the fall of the Russian empire, Georgia enjoyed a brief period of independence until the Red Army invaded the country. It then became a Soviet socialist republic. During the Soviet period three autonomous republics were set up on Georgian territory: Abkhazia, Ajaria and Southern Ossetia. 12. In March 1990, as the Soviet Union was breaking up, the Georgian Parliament denounced the treaties binding Georgia to the Soviet Union and, after a referendum, Georgia proclaimed independence on 9 April 1991. On 31 May 1991 the first President of the Republic, Zviad Ghamsakhurdia, was elected in a nationwide poll but the onset of civil war and an economic crisis rapidly led to his downfall. Edward Shevardnadze was elected President in turn in October 1992. 13. The new Constitution adopted in 1995 gave the President substantial powers, including the authority to appoint the Council of Ministers. The Council is answerable to Parliament, which consists of a single chamber of 235 members elected for a four-year term. The most recent elections were held on 2 November 2003. The outcome was challenged; this led to a fresh situation, bringing about the resignation of President Shevardnadze. 14. In terms of international law, Georgia acceded to the six main international human rights agreements between 1994 and 1999. Pursuant to its treaty obligations, it submitted its second periodic report to the Human Rights Committee at its fifty-seventh session in March 2002 (CCPR/C/GEO/2000/2). Among its principal subjects of concern, the Committee made the following comments and recommendations: The Committee notes with deep concern the increase in the number of acts of religious intolerance and harassment of religious minorities and various creeds, particularly Jehovah’s Witnesses. The State party should take the necessary measures to ensure the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as provided in article 18 of the Covenant. It should also: (a) investigate and prosecute documented cases of harassment against religious minorities; (b) prosecute those responsible for such offences; and (c) conduct a public awareness campaign on religious tolerance and prevent, through education, intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief. 15. After the attacks of 11 September 2001, Georgia, like its Russian neighbour, swiftly declared its support for the anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States of America. That being so, the United States stepped up its military aid to Georgia substantially in 2002.