Why Tamar Mearkishvili Was Resigned from the Position of the Youth House Director?

 Mari Otarashvili, Akhalgori

“If you want to live here, you must be silent or complain correctly.” This person loudly complained about all problems in the district; she exposed every perpetrator publicly and who could stand her behavior? So they finally sacked her,” a local teacher told humanrights.ge when unofficially commenting on the dismissal of the former director of the Akhalgori Youth House Tamar Mearkishvili.

“She is very nice person. She has done so much good for our children after the armed conflict in 2008; if not she, our children would have lived without amusement. She organized meetings with writers in Tbilisi; concert in Tskhinvali; different local events; she even took children to sea resort in Ureki. We are very grateful to her! How could they fire her from job?!” a local resident asked.

Education unit at the local de-facto administration sacked Tamar Mearkishvili early in March. Mearkishvili claims in fact she was fired by Jemal Jigkaev, head of de-facto administration. “My dismissal is personal decision of Jemal Jigkaev, whose notification was signed by the head of the education unit,” she said and added that several days before Jigkaev had threatened her with dismissal.

Youth Palace became empty after Mearkishvili’s dismissal. Children say they do not wish to go there regularly. According to Mearkishvili’s information, pupils even started collection of signatures with the request to restore her to the position.

“I have not seen the signatures but I will sign all petitions to return Ms. Tamila to the palace,” a pupil said.

In January 2014, Tamar Mearkishvili’s interview to the newspaper Echo of the Caucasus caused discussion in Tskhinvali society. Mearkishvili spoke about social-economic problems of the district; she made critical statements about de-facto governmental officials too. Mearkishvili said several days after the interview was published investigator of the local de-facto prosecutor’s office handed her a letter of the Prosecutor General, which notified that they had study into the facts, she had mentioned in the interview. 

It is noteworthy that after 2008 August War, Saakashvili’s government fired Tamar Mearkishvili from the position of the director at the Akhalgori district Youth Palace. She said Georgian government had fired her because she did not leave Akhalgori district after the war and did not move to the similar institution which was opened in Tserovani IDP settlement. Mearkishvili said she had endured much oppression and psychological terror from the previous government of Georgia – her family members were intimidated. Despite all these facts, Mearkishvili continued working in the Akhalgori district youth palace, which is funded from the Tskhinvali budget like all other institutions in Akhalgori district.

So, both government of Georgia and Tskhinvali de-facto government fired Mearkishvili from job. 

Mearkishvili insists that her dismissal was caused by her interview with Echo of the Caucasus. 

In the last paragraph of the interview Tamar said: “Large amount of funds are allocated for our district (Akhalgori district) (by Russia) but nothing is done. I started my conversation with the President (de-facto president Leonid Tibilov) with the phrase that 2014-2016 shall be very successful for Leningori district and Tskhinvali but good management and good team (in the local government) is needed to achieve success.”

Two days after dismissal Mearkishvili received a notification which stated that she was fired because of five missed working days.

“They did not inquire why I had missed five days,” Mearkishvili wrote on her wall in the social network Facebook. She added militia men brought her the notification and forbade taking personal items from work.

Mearkishvili said, she will appeal the decision in Tskhinvali.

Local inhabitants say deputy director Larisa Garieva will replace Mearkishvili on the position. However, Garieva denied the information with humanrights.ge

“I am not interim director. I do not know who is interim director; I do not know anything,” Garieva said.