Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Government Continues to Forcefully Evict IDPs

July 21, 2011

Sopo Getsadze

The third stage of IDP eviction takes place with violations. The IDPs have been evicted from 4 compact settlement places of Tbilisi: Varketili #204 kindergarten, Samghereti St, 8 Uznadze St and 16 Kazbegi St.

IDPs received a letter of notice on July 8th, several days before the eviction which indicated that they were offered alternative residence places in the villages of Kakheti and Samegrelo region. The document did not have any necessary requisites: no date, the terms for leaving the place or a signature. IDPs received the second document regarding eviction a day before the eviction, during the non-working hours.

As the member of Conservative Party Lasha Chkhartishvili notes the letter received on July 8th did not have a form of a document intentionally. The signature and the terms were not indicated that made it impossible to submit complaint against it. In the second case, it was issued in order to have time limit. Chkhartishvili explains that the documents were issued according to the decree #747 of the Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili which envisages abolishment of terms of eviction. “This way they want to hinder people to submit complaint in the court,” – notes Chkhartishvili.

70 families are left without the shelter as a result of the eviction. Some of them were offered the alternative residence places. Some have already received the assistance, according to the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation.

According to the information of the Ministry website, out of 4 buildings in Tbilisi the IDPs raided four buildings for the last 2 years and started living there illegally. The website also notes that majority of these IDPs have come from Samegrelo during the past two years.
“Along with the issuance of apartments under the ownership, the Ministry helps IDPs on the place, gives them agricultural land, helps them to cultivate the land and also there are special projects which help them to have their own income,” – notes the Ministry web-site.

Despite this, the IDPs refuse to take government’s help. The reason mostly is the jobs they have in Tbilisi and problem of unemployment in the regions.

“The IDPs had to make a choice – a job or transfer to the village, in the apartment buildings or former farms. If they agreed to live in the farms, in this case they would lose jobs that they have in Tbilisi. If they did not receive the offer, in this case they would have to shelter in their relatives’ homes or move out by own means,” – notes Chkhartishvili.

There is no information regarding the details of the eviction at the Ministry’s website. Chkhartishvili talks about this to humanrights.ge and notes that along with the psychological influence the verbal and physical assault also took place. According to his information, the proportion between the number of IDPs and police is 1:5.

Overall there are 17 families living in this building. As they told interpressnews, the government does not offer them alternative residence place and leaves them on the street. There were protest posters around the building entitled: “Our life is under danger” “Do not leave us on the streets” “Who can give us answer?” “It is better to be burned once than evicted three times.”

The representatives of the Coalition Persecuted Civil Society were with the IDPs during the eviction. The member of the Coalition, Ramaz Gerliani stated that the process of IDP eviction is unjust since they are offered a residence place in Western Georgia where there is no living standards there.

The facts of eviction were strictly evaluated by the opposition. As the Conservative Party notes, the government is driver by two main motives: first – to appropriate millions of GEL allotted for IDPs and the second – political motive: wants to leave Tbilisi without IDPs. They represent a potential threat to government since government is not going to create guarantees for them.

Before the mass evictions, 90 000 IDPs lived in Tbilisi, 5% out of which have been already evicted and the half of the rest live in the private sector, and another half in 350 settlements in Tbilisi.

News