IDPs Left Without Any Protector

IDPs Left Without Any Protector

The safety of the population is still in the balance because of the tense political situation in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. The tough social conditions suffered by the population are made worse by gunfire and attacks. Two days ago, a blood feud in the village of Avlevi in the Kareli region resulted in the death of two policemen. The Interior Minister, Vano Merabishvili, states that guard posts in the Frone Gorge are to be reinforced. The reinforced contingents will be bolstered by soldiers mainly recruited from the Special Forces.  

The population in the gorge of the Small Liakhvi (river) lives in unendurable conditions. Internally displaced people (IDPs) are left without any attention there. Mariam (Marusia) Midodashvili, an IDP from Tskhinvali to Eredvi, has been living in a carriage for 15 years. As family relatives describe, the carriage was damaged by a shell during the 2004 tensions in Tskhinvali. Mariam Midodashvili’s daughter, Nona Midodashvili, says that the government gave 1,000GEL to their family then. Since that time they have had no other allowances.

Nona Mididashvili now lives in Gori, while her mother lives in a carriage in the village of Argvitsi. The mother cannot abandon her native region and that’s why she has stayed in the Small Liakhvi Gorge. The village of Argvitsi is shared by the Ossetians and Georgians under the Beruli Administration’s jurisdiction. All of them combined are under Eredvi Commonwealth jurisdiction.

The Midodashvilis’ house was burnt down by Ossetians in 1991, during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. The accident took place forty days after the treacherous murder of a family member, Spartak Midodashvili.  As shown by statements of family relatives’, after having been betrayed by the Georgians, Spartak Midodashvili was captured by Ossetians who stoned him in the village of Mamisaantubani.

Spartak Midodashvli was a sergeant at the National Military Academy and played an active part in the conflict settlement. His sister Nona Midodashvili recalls that the Ossetians had captured Spartak after he was betrayed by Georgians while traveling along one of the back roads. Spartak Midodashvili was decorated as a hero, but nowadays his mother is not rewarded for her son’s merit and she has already had to live in a carriage for 15 years.

Nona Midodashvili states: “This carriage is situated outside the village. It was hit by a shell in 2004. My dead brother does not deserve such treatment from the government. They do not intend to support us by improving our living conditions one bit. We have no allowances. I have applied to everybody. Everyone is aware of the case – the village governor, local government, but nothing is done - only promises are made. My 60-year-old mother and I live in such conditions.”

Spartak Midodashvili’s sister Nona Midodashvili had been working at Eredvi Police Station for a while when Zurab Bortsvadze was appointed as a chief of the department. Bortsvadze worked for the police for several months. He was wrapped up in the scandal of a physical assault on a detained Ossetian citizen and was fired. Since then the whole staff of the Eredvi Police station have been dismissed. The Eredvi population protested against Bortsvadze’s sacking and held a demonstration about it, but in vain. All of the staff were left without any income. Nona Midodashvili says that the all the staff have been treated unfairly. The Midodashvilis hope that their fate will interest somebody.  

As for IDP allowances, they have been suspended since January in Gori. We were informed by the Refugees Department, that the allowances would be distributed again after July. But whether the IDPs would receive their allowances for the intervening seven months (where no money was paid) has not been settled yet.

The Refugees and Accommodation Minister, Rekhviashvili, upon his arrival in Gori, held a closed meeting with regional and village councilors. Leaving the meeting he declared that a council will be established to ascertain the situation in detail and it will consist of representatives of various bodies. Information shows that 250GEL would be apportioned for Tskhinvali IDPs in Gori, 200GEL in Kaspi and 50GEL in Kareli. The small amount of the IDP allowances in Kareli is because of the tiny local budget.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori