Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

Hundreds of nursery schools, culture houses and libraries are closed because of lack of funds in the local budget. Socially excluded people cannot get allowances for the same reason; however chairmen of municipalities and governors have their salaries raised at the expense of above-mentioned changes. Hereinafter the chairmen will receive 1 500 lari and governors will receive 2 100 lari a month. The decision was made at the meeting of local self-governmental bodies and it caused public concern.

Financial Police has sealed up the property of the “Gorgia” Ltd for more than one month. Officially they blame the firm for having some violations in Tax Documents. According to unofficial information the owner of the Ltd is demanded to pay five million lari or to yield one of his enterprise. The board of the “Gorgia” claims that their accountancy is transparent and they are ready to pay fine for some violations discovered in their documents. Almost 300 people are employed at the firm and their salaries range from 300 to 1000 lari a month.

This year peasants reaped rich fruit harvest. Unlike previous year Gori District population hoped to improve their living conditions by selling out their products. However, the hope soon vanished. The villagers do not know where to take their harvest of the cherry to sell. There is no transport to get to the city.

Residents of the villages of Gremi and Grdzelichala in the Kvareli district demand either to remove the polygon of the Telavi Reservists’ Unit from the area or to severe the security measures for reservists. The villagers became furious after the accident several days ago. According to the initial information reservists murdered Aleksi Khutsurauli by a machine gun. Local people claim that very often gun blazing result into a fire. Villagers find bullets on the pasture and in their yards.

On September 10 2004 great amount of petrol and gas exploded in the village of Ninotsminda in the Sagarejo District. The accident on the oil well # 100 of the Oil Company Canargo-Georgia lasted three days. As a result 220 acres of forest was destroyed. The water and the earth were polluted in the area. Population was poisoned with gas. Breast, throat and skin cancer has spread in several villages. Local people complain that the number of death facts has increased.