Clash in Gori District Villages

Goga Aptsiauri, Radio Liberty

Political situation is getting tenser in Gori district. Bacchus and fists were also involved in the affair. Aggressive people apply various methods to fail meetings of Georgian Dream’s leaders in the villages. They are aggressive with journalists too. A person in Akhaldaba village initially demanded cameraman Tornike Tibilashvili from the news agency INFO 9 to stop footage and then punched him in the face. The quarrel between the supporters of opposition and ruling parties took place in the same village.

INFO 9 cameraman has his eye injured and video-camera broken. Tibilashvili has already taken medical expertise and applied to the Public Defender for help. His abuser was video-recorded but journalists could not identify his personality yet. Tibilashvili said he was attacked when he was shooting a quarrel in the street.

Employees of the village attorney’s administration and school teachers were particularly active during the Coalition leaders’ meeting in Variani village. Iza Kokauri, supporter of the National Movement, was particularly active and blamed coalition leaders in treason and getting funds from Russia. Editor of the online newspaper qartli.ge Saba Tsitsikashvili recognized those teachers; they had been members of the election commission during the previous elections [local self-governmental elections in 2010] and falsified election results. Those teachers were aggressive towards the journalist and insulted him. Qartli.ge’s video-recorded this incident.

Nineli Chakvetadze from the Coalition said drunken people were chasing and threatening them.

Meetings in Shindisi and Nikozi villages were also very noisy. Irma Papunashvili, employee of the Shindisi village administration was active and called opposition leaders to be traitors; afterwards she argued with Kakhi Kaladze.

In Nikozi village, the village attorney called all his relatives and friends to fail the meeting of the Coalition and shouted at them to immediately leave the village. They even insulted the clergymen who were attending the meeting.

Nikozi village attorney Ilia Mindiashvili said population is aggressive towards Ivanishvili because of his relation with Russia and nobody wants to listen to his supporters in the village.

Kakhi Kaladze of the Coalition recalled Mereti incident and blamed the government in artificial tension of the situation.

Coalition leaders continue meetings in the villages till June 15. On Sunday, Georgian Dream has scheduled an assembly in Gori. In parallel to it situation is getting tense in the villages of Gori district. Coalition leaders state the government’s supporters try to fail their meetings in every village.