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Dzveli Anaga Secondary School Teachers Blame Investigation for Not Being Objective

March 9, 2006

Dzveli Anaga Secondary School Teachers Blame Investigation for Not Being Objective

The teachers and graduates of a secondary school in the village of Dzveli Anaga in the Signagi region accuse Khvtiso Taliashvili, a former head of the school, for abusing his power and violating children’s rights. They also blame the Signagi Regional Prosecutor’s Office for deliberately suspending the investigation. 

In 2004 a criminal case was started against Khvtiso Taliashvili for the abuses of his power. In spite of the fact that there is enough evidence against him, the prosecutor’s office has suspended the case.  Unofficial sources state that Taliashvili is supported and backed by his nephew, Gocha Gogolashvili, the general director of the pharmacy ‘PSP’ net, who has close links with the local government and law enforcement agencies.  

‘The Signagi Regional Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating the criminal case against Taliashvili for the abuse of his power for three years. I reckon they’ve suspended the investigation on purpose. He has been violating the rights of the children for years, not to mention what we have suffered, but no one cares because of his influential acquaintances”, says teacher, Lela Abulashvili.

A graduate, Marekhi Gvedashvili recalls how ‘teacher Khvtiso’ made fun of her. “Since I am from a poor family, Taliashvili who was teaching physics, used to address me with a humiliating nickname. After a while I was ashamed to go outside. I remember how once he said that he only allowed my sister and I to move to the next form because my mother promised to weed his garden. My mother was sick and died soon after; nevertheless, he excluded my sister from school”, remembers Marekhi Gvedashvili.

“During Khvtiso Taliashvili’s time as director of the school, I had to suffer constant embarrassment. He forced me and other teachers from the school to physically labour cultivating his lands. If we resisted, he used to put psychological pressure upon the teachers. Humiliated teachers either quit or were fired by the director. We were not free to fairly assess the students. He always tried to extort as much as possible both from teachers and the parents”, says teacher, Maia Gvedashvili.

According to teachers and material from the criminal case, Khvtiso Taliashvili has been selling secondary school diplomas for 10-15 laris for years. “He used to gather 20-30 laris from the children to ‘arrange an excursion’ and keep the amount for his own pocket. He illegally appropriated money from the school canteen as well as the school garden and a tractor. What’s more, in the winter, he gathered money from the students to pay for wood, even though a political party used to provide the school with this. He also cut the central heating of the school and sold it for scrap. He did many other illegal acts too”, notes acting director of the school, Nino Gvedoshvili.

Khvtiso Taliashvili denies all the accusations, saying that he is not guilty of anything. He is sure that “no one will be able to touch him”. “I agree with none of the accusations. The teachers helped me voluntarily by cultivating the land. As for the diplomas, if somebody paid 10 laris, that was in order to meet the guests. I deny appropriating the tractor, fence etc.”, he said, shutting the staff room door.

David Dugashvili, Signagi Regional Prosecutor, explains that a criminal case against Khvtiso Taliashvili has been started under the article 332 of the criminal code. It should also be mentioned that the investigator does not deny having close relations with Gogolashvili. However, he refuses to make any comments regarding this, only saying that the suspension of the investigation has nothing to do with his relationship to Gogolashvili.

Gela Mtivlishvili from Kakheti

 

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