Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

 

“With all my responsibility, I declare that no staff reduction of teachers is planned, has never been planned and can’t be planned at all,” – stated the Minister of Education and Science Dimitri Shashkini on June 17th, 2010. From August 5th till August 14th, only in the Kakheti office of the Human Rights Center received 247 complaints of the teachers dismissed from the public schools. In the command of the teacher’s dismissal, the paragraph D of the article 37th of the Labor Code is indicated – the cancellation of the labor agreement.
 

“The biggest difference between ethnically Georgian and Azerbaijani women is that Georgians have more equal rights with their husbands than Azerbaijani women do. Generally, Azerbaijani women, basically in the villages, don’t feel free,” – says Tatiana Batashuri, who works in the office of “National Network against Violence.”

 
 

“The Georgian authorities must do more than the bare minimum to provide adequate housing, employment and access to health care to those displaced as a result of the conflicts in the 1990s and the war with Russia in August 2008. Displaced people need more than just roofs over their heads,” – stated Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programm director of the international organization “Amnesty International.”

“I witnessed how Putin called Saakashvili and strictly warned him not to start the war and bomb peacekeepers,” – stated Nino Burjanadze on August 12th in the live broadcasting of the local television company “Trialeti.” For two hours Nino Burjanadze was answering calls of the region population. This program became one of the highest rated ones according to the received calls.

The strong prime-minister, strong government and maximally diminished parliament – this is the formulation of the constitutional project which was adopted in an expedited way on July 19th. This is the opinion of the opposition and non-governmental sector, including the representatives of the organizations, members of the above mentioned commission. Despite their opinions and recommendations, the project has already been adopted and the parliament is already working on it.

Russia deployed C-300 anti-air defense systems in the territory of Abkhazia, reports news agency Itar-Tass. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Alexander Zelin, the anti-air defense army units were deployed in so-called South Ossetia. The US State Department representative stated that he already knew about the C-300 system deployment in Russia two years ago.

Two years after the August war rebuilding Georgia’s defense, including through possible supply of anti-tank, air defense and early-warning radar systems, is one of the areas in which Tbilisi needs U.S. long-term support, U.S. Republican senator, John McCain wrote in his opinion piece published in the Washington Post on August 8.

27 million dollars are spent on the 24 hour constant water supply of Poti. President Saakashvili congratulated the whole country with “constant water” in the live broadcasting of several television channels and symbolically turned on a tap in one of the houses in Poti. As it was found out later, the water was streaming down from the reservoir located at the roof of the house. The Poti population is most deceived; after two years from this remarkable day the water is supplied only for a couple of hours, every second day and by the way, for the most expensive price compared to all other regions of Georgia.

During the first six months of 2010, 89879 lari and 35 tetri was spent from the Ozurgeti Municipality budget for the police financing. Basically, this money was used for communal fees, mono cards and petrol. 372 cleaning papers were bought for 13000 lari, 676 toilet papers – for 2500 lari and 80 perfumes – for 1200 lari,” – states an expert.

The citizen Lela Gogiberidze addressed the Human Rights Center.  Residing at # 19 Mazniashvili St, Batumi, she claims that Energo-Pro Georgia is constructing high voltage cables in part of her yard, thus taking over her property.

Officials from the Batumi Supervision Service physically assaulted journalist, Emzar Diasamidze. The incident took place on July 30, at the territory of the Boni market. The reason for the fighting was simply due to a request concerning job confirmation documentation. Diasamidze was taken to the police department. Police denies this fact.

The four storied building of IDPs at #6 Lomuri St has just been restored. The doors and windows have been replaced, the building has been cosmetically repaired, and individual bathrooms have been provided. Even an amusement park for children has been arranged in the yard. The building has been painted  in pink, and  briefly, we can say that the IDPs were provided with human living conditions. However,  there just one little thing that was not considered, and as a result, nearly a half meter of water floods the basement of the renewed building.

It’s currently prohibited to enter the Zemo Niqozi village without official identification cards. Georgian armed forces located at the entrance are strictly controlling the traffic in and out of the village.  A representative from The Human Rights Center’s Gori office witnessed an incident in the village that was located near the front line in August war.

The population of Kvemo Kartli villages – Agtaklia and Qesalo - are asking for attention from the government. “Mtkvari is flooding the entire village. Nobody will pay attention to this situation. We don’t even know when the drinking water will be available and we don’t have gas either. The electricity fee has risen from 13 tetri to 27 tetri. They won’t even take out the trash and consequently the city has turned into a trash bin.. The only thing that works properly here are the police officers,” complained Vugar Gasanovi, resident of the Agtkalia village in the Gardabani Region.
 

We all remember a commercial shown by numerous national television channels before the 2008 August war in which a tank violating traffic rules outruns a car. The young driver of the car is fascinated by the capabilities of the tank. Another young person climbs out of the tank and calls to him with a shout, “Come to the reserve, it’s cool!” In the two years following the August war, new militarist video clips are expected. The government is currently amending the laws concerning reserve service and the calls for militarism have increased in President Saakashvili’s speeches.