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Perevi after the De-occupation

November 19, 2010
Shorena Latatia, Perevi-Tbilisi

About a month passed since the abolishment of Russian post in Sachkheri region and the removal of Russian military. Human Rights Center arrived in Perevi specifically to talk with the village population after 26-month occupation.

The village Perevi of Sachkhere region directly borders the Java region and the villages situated in the territory of former South Osettia Autonomous region – Sinaguri and Kardzmani. Thus, it is strategically important territory.

As paradoxically as it sounds, some people are pessimistic about the abolishment of Russian post in the village. In the opinion of these people, this fact brought no positive results in the daily life of the village. “Russian soldiers opened up the entrance of the village and now are standing on the other side of the bridge at the entrance of the village Kardzmani. Nothing really changed here. If they were standing on this side of the bridge before, now they are on the other side. This is all,” – stated Perevi resident Giorgi Beridze.

Some feel more secure now: “After the abolishment of the post in the entrance of the village, we feel more protected. The only thing is that we have not received the food assistance. However, we were promised that the help will increase in future. We live by this hope,” – stated Perevi resident Guram Majazarashvili.

Perevi resident Merab Shukadze sadly states: “We had bad harvest this year. For example, if we received 100 kilos of maize before, this year we could not receive even 10 kilos. We could not gather wood either since the forest was controlled by the Russians and we were not allowed to have its access.”

Perevi population can’t recall the fact of pillage or theft by Russian soldiers. Unlike Akhalgori region, they did not have a problem of bringing goods (including building material) in the village. “We never had problem from Russian soldiers before or after the abolishment of the post. They let us go without problem when we showed the passport. As for the guests, they were requested to show the ID cards translated in Russian. They were maximally reserved from talking with the population. If we had to go to Osettian villages, they would write down how many cattle we were bringing to help us in case of theft or loss. The fact is that Russian military protected us from Osettians. If not them, Osettians would have pillaged the whole village,” – stated Perevi resident Giorgi Beridze.

Unemployment is also a big problem. “The village youth does not want to stay here since there is no employment perspective,” – states Shukadze.

“Sooner or later Russians would have left the village. This was clear in the beginning. Russians had information during the August war that Georgian army was proceeding to the Java region through Perevi. It is true that Georgians did not enter java then, but Russians saw a danger from this village. This is one of the reasons why they stayed in Perevi for this whole time. Russians’ departure from Perevi does not mean the start of de-occupation at all,” – states the main editor of the military analytical magazine Arsenali, Irakli Aladashvili.

Unfortunately, Perevi residents were not provided with food assistance for the law two months that further complicates their daily life. Due to the impossibility of calculation of the consumed electricity in the occupied Perevi, it was provided for free. We don’t know what will happen now. The populations hopes that the electricity will be still be free.

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