Right to Double Choice – Reportage from Perevi and Other Villages on ABL

Lado Bichashvili, Imereti

Residents of four occupied villages in Sachkhere district – Kardzmani, Sinaguri, Tedeleti and Jalabati are registered in the united list of voters at two polling stations. 74 out of 1020 registered voters in Perevi village polling station live in the occupied villages; another 46 voters registered in Jria village PS live in the occupied territory. 

About 80 families live in the occupied village of Kardzmani, 32 families in Sinaguri village, 7 families in Tedeleti and 3 families in Jalabati. After 2008 Russian Georgian War occupation line was marked at the Kvirila River Ravine in Sachkhere district. Since then, the aforementioned villages have been under de-facto jurisdiction of South Ossetia and belong to the Java district. Big part of local population still holds double citizenship – Georgian and de-facto South Ossetian. On June 15, Georgian citizens from occupied villages wished to participate in the local self-governmental elections for what they had to cross occupation line.

The highest number of Georgian citizens from occupied territories participated in 2012 parliamentary elections. Although Tskhinvali de-facto authority and Russian soldiers had declared emergency situation in the occupied territory, population managed to secretly reach Georgia controlled territory across the river ravine. There was high voter turnout during last year presidential elections too. Regardless declared extraordinary situation in the occupied territory and closed de-fact border, part of voters managed to participate in the elections.

On June 15, 2014, on the day of Local Self-Governmental Elections in Georgia, about 40 voters arrived from the occupied Kardzmani. They voted at the Jria polling station. Several respondents did not tell their names to the Human Rights Center’s observers due to security means but a few of them openly spoke about the situation in the occupied territory.

Severian Amiranashvili from Kardzmani said it was first time when Russian and Ossetian soldiers allowed them to cross the borderline and participate in the elections.

Givi Bakhturidze, resident of Kardzmani: “In the past we faced problems; they did not allow us to cross border but now they did. We travelled here by car, voted and now are going back.”

Two members of the Jria election commission were also residents of the occupied territory. They also managed to cross the ABL without problem.

After 2008 Russian-Georgian armed conflict residents of Sachkhere district villages still have communication with the residents of the occupied villages on the other side of the ABL that is not usual for Shida Kartli region. The Gorge is huge and neither Russian and Ossetian military forces nor Georgian police can fully control the territory. 

When extraordinary situation is declared in the occupied territory, the checkpoints are locked for several days. The checkpoints are arranged on the motorways. There are two checkpoints in Perevi village. In extraordinary situation locals can reach the occupied territory via footpaths across the river ravine. Big part of local population in the occupied territories is mixed Georgian-Ossetian families. Locals often buy products in Sachkhere district. If they have permits, they can officially cross the checkpoint but when border is locked, they use footpaths across Kvirila River Ravine. 

Residents of the aforementioned villages hold double citizenship. They have to take passports of the non-recognized entities to communicate their relatives living in the occupied territory. People, who have taken Ossetian passports, participated in the de-facto parliamentary elections in Tskhinvali short time ago. Supposedly occupation regime was more generous towards Georgian citizens traveling to the Sachkhere district polling stations because of their participation in the de-facto parliamentary elections. 

Residents of four occupied villages in Sachkhere district - Kardzmani, Sinaguri, Tedeleti and Jalabati receive pension and social allowance from the Georgian state. In parallel to that they receive pensions from the Tskhinvali de-facto government. 

Russian and Ossetian military units installed radars and cameras at the occupation line. They control who cross the border at certain perimeter. Residents of the ABL villages complain about hard life. Almost nobody has livestock in Perevi village because pastures are now in the occupied territory. Big part of their agriculture plots is located on the other side of the ABL too.