On November 1st, members of the National Council arrived in the regions of Georgia to organize the General Public Movement. MP Bezhan Gunava and Lasha Chkhartishvili, a representative of the Egalitarian Institute, visited the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region.
“Drivers were suppressed by the government in Akhaltsikhe. Officials from the Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs tried to restrict traffic,” MP Gunava stated after meeting with locals.
Besik Bliadze, a resident of the village of Atskuri in the Akhaltsikhe District and also a member of the United Georgia political party, says patrol police seized his vehicle’s technical passport. “They knew everything about the person and his car. I was repairing a tire near a patrol station. As soon as I began to drive away, a patrol car started to chase me. They seized my car’s technical passport and promised to return it as soon as they checked it. They spent half an hour in their car, thinking of what to do.”
Bliadze’s car was placed in an impound lot on the grounds that he had failed to pay a fine levied on it. Biladze looked into the claim at the Police Station, who informed him that he was never fined. Regardless, the car was not returned to him.
“We will get to Tbilisi even if we have to walk there,” locals intent on going to the demonstration said.
Reports of drivers having their documents seized to prevent them from reaching the capitol were widespread throughout the Akhaltsikhe district. Drivers have avoided confirming the reports publicly. In personal conversations they confirm that people threatened them over the phone and seized their documents.
The morning of November 2nd, a mini-bus left Akhaltsikhe for Tbilisi as its usual 10:00 AM departure time. All car movement towards Tbilisi was soon stopped. No buses or mini-buses left Akhaltsikhe for Tbilisi that day.
Any expecting transport into the capitol did so in vain.
“I am not going to the demonstration. I live in Tbilisi and want to go home,” said a woman dressed in black, standing at the bus station with several bags. “Why don’t they take into consideration that somebody might be in serious need of going to the capitol?”
The Human Rights Center tried to find out what real situation was. When asked if any busses were leaving for the capitol, the only cashier at the ticket-office shouted, “Are you not watching TV? You can find out with the chief of the bus station.” The loud conversation attracted the mini-bus drivers who approached us. “We want to go to Tbilisi but they have ordered that no mini-buses are to go to the capitol. Our MP, Nodar Grigalashvili, scores points with the government by doing such things,” the drivers said.
Despite numerous obstacles, nearly thirty cars left the Samtskhe region on November 1st for Tbilisi.
Recent events have encouraged more people in the Meskheti Region to go to Tbilisi and attend the demonstration.
Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe
News
December 13, 2023
Ethnic minorities outside the peace dialogue
November 6, 2023
‘Peace’ agenda of political parties
Popular
Articles
February 13, 2024
Why are Ossetians affected by the conflict unable to regain Georgian citizenship and their property?
