Zakaria Kinkladze – Next Victim of Political Revenge?

On March 11, two-hectare apple-garden of Zakaria Kinkladze, member of the Republic Party National Committee and half-hectare nut-plantation of his brother were burnt in Akhmeta. Mini-farm of rabbits, plants and the building were completely burnt in the area.

The shepherds called Zakaria Kinkladze’s father and told him they saw fire a kilometer away. When Kinkladze’s father arrived on the Alazani Embankment, there was nobody in the area; there was neither garden, nor nut-trees….

A very significant fact occurred before this incident that makes us believe that it was political revenge.

On March 9, Friday, Zakaria Kinkladze won a trial at the Tbilisi Appeal Court.

The case is as follows: last October Zakaria Kinkladze from the Akhmeta district office of the Republic Party distributed booklets supporting Bidzina Ivanishvili. As a result, he was compelled to leave the space he had rented for business activities. On the next day, his son Levan Kinkladze was sacked from job. His wife quit school in protest where she worked as a teacher.

In order not to evaluate the fact as politically motivated persecution, the space owner and Akhmeta district police officer Giorgi Kisishvili sued Zakaria Kinkladze at the court. He blamed Kinkladze in breaching the lease agreement and demanded him to pay 1 500 USD. The Telavi District Court satisfied his suit.

Zakaria Kinkladze appealed this decision at the Tbilisi Appeal Court and on March 9 he won the trial. Lawyers of the Telavi Office of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association defend his rights.

On March 11, Zakaria Kinkladze and his brother’s estate was completely burnt.

Zakaria Kinkladze’s case was actively covered by Georgian media. Information Center of Kakheti published several articles about the topic; TV-Company “Maestro” covered his politically motivated prosecution in Shalva Ramishvili’s program “Without Accreditation.”

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