Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

Owners of Saunje, a shop at 28 Rustaveli Avenue, were forced to leave. Although they held a demonstration, they were forced out by police as ordered by the Ministry of Economics.

Representatives of human rights organization blame officials from the Kakheti Bureau of the Environmental Inspection (EI) for violating human rights. Everyday, EI inspectors seize peasants the firewood, which they buy or receive as a gift and then the inspectors send so-called law offenders to the court. In the region, hundreds of poor people with their under-age children try to survive the frost with bare hands.

Village of Khevasheni in Adigeni District has not had water for several years. Initially villagers petitioned all corresponding bodies, and then they applied to non-governmental organizations, in vain.

The Parliament's Agriculture Committee prepared a draft law on the privatization of public pastures. Cattle herders do not like the initiative because they do not have enough money to purchase the land from the government. If they lose pasture, they will have to kill off their herds and move elsewhere.

First large-scaled changes took place in the Batumi Port after having it sold out. Last week, 300 employees of the port, particularly those who worked in the administration, were sacked.

Magazine “The Economist” published a democracy index of the countries in the world. The index was calculated on the basis of five criteria: elections and pluralism, functioning of the government, political activities, political culture and civil freedom. They used a ten-point system to value the indexes. Georgia took 104th place out of total 167 countries.

Several days ago, Human Rights Center's on-line newspaper published an article about the Begashvilis, a family with six children living in Gurjaani. Luckily, the letter had a great resonance.

Shida Kartli population threatens to hold protest demonstrations against the chief of the Railway Department. The residents from the Kaspi and Gori Districts informed the Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre yesterday.

Professors of the Tskhinvali State University sent a protest Note to the Minister of Education and Science, Alexsandre Lomaia. Nearly sixty lecturers of the internally displaced university protest the combining the Tskhinvali and Gori Universities. Lecturers form the Gori University join the pretest as well.

The Igoeti's station in Kaspi District is going to be forcibly sold at auction. The fact is protested by Gela Guraspashvili, the owner of the station. If Sinatle Ltd, the station, does not pay an estimated bill amounting to 86,000 GEL to the Tax Inspection Department, the station will be sold at auction.

Natela Tsetskhladze, resident of the village of Kvirike in Kobuleti District, during her deportation from Russia was forced to leave her ten-year-old child at the Derbend train station in Moscow. The desperate mother demanded an explanation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

People from the village of Utkisubani in Adigeni District have not seen light in almost fifteen years. Of course, they have seen the daylight, but what they haven't seen is a glimmer of light from the glass bulbs collecting dust around their homes. "Is this a life? Is this a normal !" the villagers complain.

In Batumi, near the Turkish Consulate, permanent demonstrations are being held by Georgian citizens deported from Turkey. On December 19, deported people gathered in front of the consulate and demanded to meet the Turkish Consul for an explanation of their deportations.

Yesterday, nearly 300 employees of the oil refinery held a demonstration in the refinery area. According to them, the refinery has a new owner, and they are going to be fired.

Residents of the village of Dertseli in the Adigeni District, have been waiting for the assistance from the government for a year already. The people, who are living in the zone, damaged by the landslide, continuously face danger.

Initially dead people, now alive entrepreneurs are raided in Kakheti. Telavi Tax Inspection sent warrants to legal and private entities and informed that the inspection had written of a certain amount of money from their bank accounts to pay their bills, taxes and fines. Thus, before the New Year, workers of the private organizations are left without salaries.

In Batumi, the monthly price of water will increase by 65 tetri. After January, a person should pay 1.85 lari instead of the previous 1.20 lari. The bill was increased only for residents and not for state and commercial organizations. State organizations will continue to pay 3.5 lari and commercial ones, 4 lari.

Residents from the village of Charebi in Patara Liakhvi Gorge arrived in Gori to urge the Shida Kartli Regional Administrative Board for help. However, their arrival ended in failure. Later, a kind man advised them to see a journalist who promised to inform the authority about their problems.

On November 27, teachers from several Georgian schools in the Gali District went on a strike. They demanded salaries according to their working hours and allowances from the Georgian government. On November 28, teachers (nearly fifty people) of all schools in the district, held demonstration near the river Enguri Bridge, in the village of Orsantia. The teachers said that the legal government of the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic does not pay attention to them.

Former Councilor of Abastumani District, Anton Merabishvili, and local businessman, Genadi Endeladze, had their property, the hotel 'Abastumani' and the resort-house 'Aghobili', turned over to the government. The deed was drawn up, and the hotel and the resort-house were transferred to the state. The former owners refused to comment.