Gurjaani Ministry of Interior Officials Raid Demonstration

Gurjaani Ministry of Interior Officials Raid Demonstration

Today, a protest in front of the Gurjaani Service Centre of the J/S "Kakheti PowerDistribution Company”, was broken up by local policemen. Malkhhaz Ghubejashvili, the deputy head of the Gurjaani Police Station pushed Soso Zardiashvli, one of the demonstrators down the stairs, after which Zardiashvili was accused of breaking the law. Customer Mevlud Gogiashvili, who came to the demonstration quite by chance, was also arrested for "slight hooliganism". During the scuffle, a correspondent from a regional newspaper was injured as well.

For last few weeks, inhabitants of the village of Gurjaani have been trying in vain to obtain answers to certain questions from Khatuna Chumburidze, the manager of the service centre. This resulted in nearly a hundred people gathering in front of the Power Distribution office-building to try to finally get answers to their questions.

"The government has distributed vouchers to families below the poverty level, according to which, if we spend 8 GEL we only have to pay 3 GEL, as the other 5 GEL is covered by the government. Despite this, representatives of the Power Distribution Company selfishly exaggerate the readings on our personal meters, so we have to pay two to three times more money. For example, one retired person, living at home alone, was charged for an extra one thousand kilowatts of electricity. It is incredible, for such a lonely person to use so much electricity. We have a lot of similar cases. Despite this, the manager of the service centre refuses to answer us and every attempt we make to find out the truth is responded to by them cutting off the electricity and throwing us into darkness for weeks," declares Eldar Zardiashvili, a participant in the demonstration.

 The situation became tenser after demonstrators told a journalist about the illicit work at the service centre and blamed the manager, Khatuna Chumburidze, of corruption.

"The population completely paid last years’ electricity fees, but at that time, although the collector gave us receipts, the Power Distribution Company does not regard it as a paid, as the money has not hit the company’s account and they make us pay it once more. If we don't pay and resist, our electricity is cut off. We have applied to the regional administration as well several times, but the governor and his deputy told us that Chumburidze did not obey them and they could not help us,” says Bondo Kachlishvili, an inhabitant of the village of Gurjaani.

According to demonstrators, Khatuna Chumburidze was protected from the furious people by her brother, Davit Chumburidze. Her brother not only orally and physically assaulted Maia Mamulashvili, a journalist of the Kakheti regional newspaper “Kakhetis Khma” (voice of Kakheti), but also broke her camera.

“Nearly ten policemen rushed to the demonstration unexpectedly. They ran up the stairs, pushed us and disbanded us. Malkhaz Ghubejashvili, the deputy head of police office pushed me the most violently; I fell down the stairs and was injured. Neither I nor the others assaulted anyone. We just demanded well-founded explanations from Khatuna Chumburidze regarding why she made us pay what we do not owe and why she laughed at us. But the policemen drew up a report regarding legal violations by me and Mevlud Gogiashvili, who was not a demonstrator at all. Having paid his electricity fee at the cashier’s, he left the building and joined us. Finally both of us were detained,” Soso Zardiashvili told us.

Gurjaani Interior Ministry officials will not confirm the name of the person who called the police. Malkhaz Ghubejashvili, the deputy head of the department denies the raid on the demonstrators and also does not confirm that Soso Zardiashvili’s was pushed down the stairs.

Nor do the “Kakheti Power Distribution Company” and Gurjaani Service Centre comment on the case.

Shalva Mchedlishvili, a judge of the Gurjaani regional court, convicted the detainees for “slight hooliganism”, fined them 15 GEL and released them from the hall.

The population demands a detailed explanation of the situation and the distribution of electricity to them; otherwise they threaten to block the main highway between Tbilisi and Telavi.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti