Public Defender of Georgia Calls Upon the Ministry of IDPs from Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees to Give Shelter to Every IDP
January 21, 2011
Interpresnews
The public defender of Georgia calls upon the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia to give shelter to every IDP. According to Ombudsman Giorgi Tugushi, in the case of people displaced as a result of the armed conflict in 2008, nobody should remain without compensation which was assigned to IDPs. Instead, the recieved cottages in new settlements and adequate living conditions shall be in alternative accommodations.
The Public Defender calls upon the ministry of Koba Subeliani to act in compliance with the requirements and procedures of the law and Standard Operative Procedures; they shall also protect the legal interest of every IDP.
“The offered alternative accommodations create serious problems for most IDPs. Accommodation is a very painful process. The priority of the state shall be the creation of minimal living conditions for IDPs. However, adequate living conditions do not mean only well-built buildings and comfortable flats; other aspects shall be taken into consideration as well. More precisely, the location of the accommodations is extremely important. The accommodations shall be located in a place where working places, schools, nursery schools, medical centers and other social service centers are available,” the statement of Giorgi Tugushi said.
The Ombudsman will study the legality of the eviction process that took place on January 20, as well as the detention of several persons during eviction.
The statement says it will investigate whether IDPs were evicted without having been offered alternative space or compensation. According to the Public Defender’s office, they are checking the information at the moment because the existence of similar facts blatantly violates operative procedures of the IDP eviction that result in violation of IDP rights.
The Public Defender thinks that the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees had to inform the IDPs about the exact dates of eviction several days before the process started because the procedure was postponed several times.
“In August of 2010, the eviction process was halted because of the insufficient time given to the IDPs. Besides that, in January of 2011, the Public Defender additionally monitored the alternative accommodations offered to IDPs. Many problems were observed in the alternative accommodations which can negatively impact on the futures of the IDPs. The monitoring was carried out in the village of Potskho-Etseri in the Tsalenjikha district, in the villages of Lesichine and Zumi in the Chkhorotsku district, in the village of Abashispiri in the Abasha district, and in the village of Torsa-Dghvaba in the Khobi district. The situation in the above-listed accommodations is the following: every building was renovated, but they are far from the administrative centers and infrastructure is not developed in the area. For example, in Potskho-Etseri the inhabitants have to travel to the small town Jvari to buy medicines because there is not pharmacy in the village. In Abashispiri, children have to walk 2 kilometers to get to school because there is no school in the village and the bus does not run in the village to take children to school. The inhabitants have problem of drinking water in Torsa-Dghvaba and Abashispiri; it is not clear yet, whether agricultural plots will be assigned to IDPs or not, and it is not known yet whether any projects will be implemented in the area to employ IDPs,” the statement reads.
The Public Defender requests the Ministry of Accommodation to take all necessary measures to create adequate living conditions for IDPs, while protecting their rights and interests. According to the statement, the Public Defender will continue monitoring of the accommodation process.
The Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Refugees and Accommodation made a statement about the eviction of IDPs from the building of former executive bureau in Vazha-Pshavela Avenue, 3rd micro-district.
According to the statement of the Ministry, they offered IDPs renovated flats in the regions and nobody will remain without shelter. The Ministry also clarified that the eviction process is going on in compliance with the procedures agreed to with international organizations.
“The building of the former executive bureau in Vazha-Pshavela Avenue, 3rd MD, where IDPs from the armed conflict in 2008 resided is not the center of a compact settlement; it was temporary shelter for IDPs. The spread information, as if only two families were offered shelters in Tsintskaro, is not true. Every family was offered alternative accommodation. Several oppositionists interfered in the process and did not allow IDPs to make sensible choices” said the ministry statement.
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