A Mother whose Children were taken away to Hunger Strike in front of the Sighnaghi Court

Nino Kemashvili, residing in Tsnori, Sighnaghi Region of East Georgia, whose three children were taken away by the Sighnaghi Branch of Child Protective Services, following the decision of District Court, is planning to go on a hunger strike near the Sighnaghi Court in protest.

“Last year, six years old, Ana Abetsvashvili, and her 3 years old brother, Michael Abetsvashvili, were taken to an orphanage by employees of the agency without the family’s permission. As a result, there has been a continued dispute over the youngest, one year old Giorgi Abetsvashvili. The Court has already made the decision to take the third child as well. The mother posed this question, “I gave birth to these children and I am raising them in a best possible way. Why are they taking my kids away? I have no idea. Maybe it was because I was once offered the opportunity sell a child; I rejected the proposition. My lawyer addressed the chairman of the Court, Khvicha Kikilashvili, in an appeal. However, the judge did not satisfy our petition. That is why I am going on a hunger strike. I’ll die on the stairs of the Court because of this injustice,” explained Nino Qemashvili to the Kakheti Information Centre.

The Sighnaghi Social Service Centre says that in addition to a lack of appropriate living conditions, the children were abused by their mother, and this became the main justification for placing the youngsters under the responsibility of the state. . The Head of the Agency, Zurab Zurabashvili, denies Abetsvashvili’s accusation in regards to the allegation that the Centre‘s employees had offered the mother an opportunity to sell her children.
Abetsvashvilis’ neighbors have not confirmed any allegations of abuse by the mother.