Lips Sewn Shut with Black Thread

Approximately 10 people have been on a hunger strike at the Ministry of IDPs for two days now. Four of them have sewn their lips shut. The Ministry officials are taking vacations.

Bricks of cardboard, old cranky chairs, several people, the lips sewn shut with black thread, redness on their lips, red eyes… I stood afar, took the microphone, just standing. About 80 year old lady left the group and slowly came up to me. “Let me tell you something son.” Yes, she started talking. I realized I needed to record her.

“They burned down my house, killed my husband and nephew. I’m 82 years old now, former teacher. Please, help us. Tell me what else I can say.’’

The former German teacher thanks me and goes back to her group. About four people in a ten people group have sewn their lips shut. The yard, where these people stand, is overlooked by the Ministry of IDPs – with Soviet, right-angled, old door and windows, guards – on the second floor, handles blackened from outwearing and stone stairs, with the department of documentation, several used telephones. I read on the board:

“Department of IDP issues”

“Excuse me, is anybody here?” – “Break time…”

“I’m from the radio Freedom, I want to have a conversation, how long… is any leader here? Just in your department or the whole Ministry?’’

The whole Ministry leadership, almost everybody is on leave. The entrance department is on duty. People are submitting complaints under the name of Koba Subeliani…

“We are asking for one-time help to pay the rent…”

“I’ve been submitting complaints since 1993. the response is: we’ll satisfy it…”

“They said to submit complaints. Subeliani visited my home. Yes, he said so, to submit a complaint so they would render it. I wrote it once or twice. Nobody pays any attention. I’ll try one more time, I don’t know…”

Guards won’t let me go upstairs. IDPs won’t even try this. They are simply writing complaints and going there. The board illustrates about fifty different forms of different requests… and of course, the legendary telephone, which doesn’t give results.

“I called there. I was told to call again. I was told to call you. In brief, it’s a complete chaos.’’

I go back to the yard. Ramaz Aronia, the first person to sewn his lips shut, told me to call you. It’s a complete chaos here, he said.

“The ambassador of EU took us out from there and brought here, he came in and spoke there and when he came out, said that everything is going to be good, but the ambassador himself was deceived, because they offer us two hundred lari and we should stop…”

They won’t believe in the Ministry, the Minister, other officials, the system, they won’t collaborate, they are encouraging other IDPs with the writings on the streamer put up at the Ministry door: “IDPs, it’s time to wake up, look what Subeliani is doing to us…” This separate group is displaced from Abkhazia, evicted from Isani Military Hospital. Yet, the officials from Abkhazia government come to them with the white papers to conduct a census.

Look, opposition could not even bring Rustavi 2 and we brought it, Ramazi tells me… The camera is choosing scenes, looking for the interviewer. Other cameras showed up… Are you waiting for people in Sakrebulo? – journalist asks me… I didn’t know… Soon the black cars stop in the yard and the PM dressed in white comes out. The IDPs are greeting him, the cameras are turned on. You have seen these kinds of scenes, many of them…

“We are all IDPs from Abkhazia. Where can we go? The requirements of IDPs of August war were satisfied. Since we are the IDPs of Shevardnadze period, they won’t care for us.”

There, in the yard, 2 year old Aleksandre, called IDP, but in actuality, born in Tbilisi. His mother tells me that he’s been through a heart surgery – with a peaceful face and still inconfident walk, he collects gravel stones in the yard and puts them on the ground.

“Son, what are you doing? building a house… who’s going to live in this house?” – “Me.”

Aleksandre’s family, just like other people on a hunger strike, were offered Potskhoetseri, but IDPs consider this an exile… the reason? it’s wilderness… no school, no hospital, no kindergarten… Majority of people on hunger strike have children in Tbilisi, social networks, they study and work here… On the door of the Ministry, the streamer reads in English: ,,We are asking for shelter in any district of Tbilisi.’’