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Oppression on Tusheti Residents

October 24, 2011

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Police officers threatened residents of Zemo Alvani village in Akhmeta district who protested alienation of the village pastures. The law enforcement officers detained one of the protesters and summoned another one to the police station; they demanded the villagers to stop their protest and made them sign warning letter; if they break their promise, the villagers will be punished under the criminal law.

Residents of Zemo Alvani village in Akhmeta district protested alienation of the village pastures on October 13. The Tush live in Zemo Alvani village and most of them are cattle-breeders. The Tush did not allow representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Corporation to continue cultivation of the pastures and expelled them from the village. 10 hectares of the pasture land has been cultivated in Zemo Alvani village. The Agricultural Corporation of Georgia within the Ministry of Agriculture implements the activities in the village; the representatives of the Corporation state they intend to plant French nut-trees in the area.

Information Center of Kakheti published the video-materials of the protest in Zemo Alvani village on October 14. On the same day, police officers visited almost every protester who was seen in the video and demanded them to stop their protest; unless they obeyed their demand, the villagers could face problems.

The law enforcement officers detained one of the protesters Dimitry Baindurashvili during several hours. “He told them he did not care about the walnut while he breaded cattle and needed pasture…So, they detained him but as soon as people gathered in front of the police station, they released him,” said a resident of Zemo Alvani village. He added that on October 15, Saturday, minister of agriculture Bakur Kvezereli, Kakheti regional governor Giorgi Gviniashvili and Akhmeta district governor Koba Maisruadze visited the village. They met locals in the village center but the Tush said the police officers clothed in civil forms prohibited people to speak up.

“They said French nut-trees shall be planted in the village; they allege we would have more profit from it than we have from our traditional cattle-breading. We could not believe them and requested better clarifications. On the next day, the minister arrived here together with the regional and district governors. The officials of the regional administration were here too as well as police officers both in their uniforms and civil clothes. Kvezereli talked with people in similar environment. He brought models of the walnut; they were ordinary walnuts… he said it was the best solution for us; it was the best way to improve the economical development in the region and said the entire Georgia will take example from Alvani then. So, the government wants to start experiment in our village and we could not believe it and protested their initiative. The minister added that it would be good if we welcomed their initiative; but they would implement the project regardless our welcoming or not,” said Zaza Lagazidze from Zemo Alvani village.

-Did they summon you to the police station for having participated in the protest rally on the previous day?

-Yes they did; I was at the police station.

-Why did they summon you?

-Police officers were sent to my house and I went there. They told me I and people like me hinder the development of the country and cannot understand the importance of the project. I told them they might be right but we wanted to know who the project author and purchaser of our pastures was. They asked me not to protest when Bakur Kvezereli visits Zemo Alvani village. I told them I was not keen on protesting at all; moreover, the Tush are the best hosts in Georgia. The chief police officer of Akhmeta district and an official of the CSD Davit Lortkipanidze attended my questioning. Other villagers were not taken to the police station but the boys told me police officers visited almost everybody’s house that night and warned them too. If we dared to protest again, or hinder the implementation of the project or work of the equipment, we would have been punished under the criminal law.

They told me somebody had sued me alleging I had assaulted and cursed somebody and destroyed their equipment; they said three people had signed the suit. I said I had not done anything unlawful and demanded them to counter me with those people. I remembered everybody whom I talked to. The police officers told me the contradistinction was removed from the law and I should not have requested absurd things. Then they compelled me to sign the warning letter against going to the pasture and protesting their activities. Unless I signed the letter, I would have been put in prison for three months and fined with 2 000 GEL. So, I had to sign it,” Zaza Lagazidze said.

Another protester Maia Lagazidze said the Akhmeta District Governor Koba Maisuradze insulted and cursed a woman during the meeting with the Minister.

“Dimitry Baindurashvili was detained for having said: I do not care about your walnut… but they did not punish the district governor who insulted an elderly woman? Makvala Jokhadze told the governor there are many empty plots in Koreti village and they should plant the nut-trees there. In reply to her words the district governor cursed her. On the same evening, the authoritative representative of our village Davit Kaadze came to my house and shouted at me for having complained.”

Akhmeta district police station and district administration did not comment on the issue.

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