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Transport Vacuum in Gori on November 2

November 2, 2007

On November 2, only representatives of the Labor and the Republic parties from Gori will take part in the demonstration organized by the United Opposition. Two weeks ago, governmental officials and law enforcers started to seize car registration papers at the bus station.

Shalva Tlashadze (Republic Party): “There was a large-scaled meeting in the auto park where drivers were warned against taking people to Tbilisi on November 2. If they did not obey the orders they would lose their jobs. We got in touch with many drivers who directly stated that they preferred to stay in Gori and keep their jobs. People call us from the villages of Flavismani and Meghvrekisi and say that they want to go to the demonstration, but cannot manage it. We will try our best to find enough cars to take those people to Tbilisi. If buses and minibuses are not enough, we will take taxis too.”

On October 18, the United Opposition held a dress rehearsal for the demonstration in Gori. It should be admitted that only a few people met them in Gori; Tina Khidasheli, one of the leaders of the Republic Party, confirmed this too. There were nearly 70 people at the demonstration. Most of them arrived from Tbilisi together with the opposition and were traveling to Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe via Gori. Khidasheli stated in her interview with local media sources that most people in Gori are threatened and consequently they did not attend their demonstration.

Ketevan Tsabadze, the chairwoman of the local branch of the Labor Party, does not agree with Khidasheli. She said that most demonstrators were members of their party.

“I had invited almost 170 people to the demonstration in Gori. If Khidasheli claims that members of her party did not attend the meeting it is their problem. I wonder why Davit Razmadze, member of the Republic Party and Gori Municipality, was not at the demonstration. I do not think it is right to claim that the Gori population does not support the opposition. Just the opposite, on our way to Gori many people were greeting us,” said Tsabadze.

By the way, Davit Razmadze did not attend the demonstration in Gori. He is a member of the Municipality and is the head of the Social Insurance Department. Oppositionists always complain about his work in the Municipality, because he usually supports the projects proposed by the leading party.

The Conservative Party surprised the opposition on November 1. A member of that party, together with Zakro Mebaduri, publicly ripped up his membership card to the Conservative Party. “We do not want to support a political movement which considers Okruashvili (former minister of Defense) and Mikheil Kareli (former Gubernator of the Shida Kartli region) to be political prisoners,” stated the conservatives.

Representatives of the Conservative Party stated that they had closed down the Gori office for a long time. The motive is unclear.

As for transportation, attendants of the Nikozi-Tbilisi train said in their conversation with the Human Rights Center, they will not work on November 2.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

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