“Evicted”, “Demoralized” and “Greedy as Pigs” IDPs

Saba Tsitsikashvili,Gori

People – “The Russians have departed and now I will take care of you,” these are the words of Lado Vardzelashvili, Shida Kartli Regional Governor who repeated these fine and supportive words front of TV cameras on two occasions. Later, you pigs - have you not had enough care and assistance,” this is what he said to the IDPs from the villages of Avnevi and Nuli when the cameras were not rolling. However, his insulting words were recorded by a recorder of Roman Kevkhishvili, a journalist of radio Hereti. This was spotted by Regional Governor and he took the recorder away from the journalist. However, Lado Vardzelashvili returned the recorder when the Public Defender of Georgia intervened. Vardzelashvili’s angry shouting can be distinctly heard from the tape.

On October 19 Lado Vardzelashvili hosted Daniel Fried, deputy US secretary of state. Their meeting was held behind the closed doors. After having left the meeting Vardzelashvili made comments for the journalists who were invited especially for filming the meeting: “We talked about the current situation facing IDPs whom Mr. Fried had seen himself.” However, almost all TV companies publicized the story line as what actually showed, where Lado Vardzelashvili was insulting the IDPs. However, the journalists from news program –Kronika from TV Company Imedi were forced to interview Vardzelashvili for the second time, and this time no insulting words and the staged program was aired on Kronika on 8 p.m. – and this covered the event for mass consumption.

As mentioned above, Shida Kartli Regional Governor said on August 19, 2008: “When the Russians leave I will take care of these people”… The Russians left Gori on August 22. On August 23 the returnees to Gori found out that they would no longer be receiving humanitarian aid. The Human Rights Center’s Shida Kartli Office protested against this fact. Our protest was responded by the Regional Governor’s reactive protest. “Gori inhabitants have not the moral right to receive humanitarian aid! They have returned to their homes so they can not be still considered as IDPs,” informed the governor us via his special-services agents.

After these words Gori inhabitants could not count on the Governor but this was unlike the inhabitants of the so called buffer zone. The Shida Kartli Regional Governor addressed them on October 6. The speech was the same: “When the Russians leave the buffer zone I will take care of these people,” said the governor. The Russians have now left the buffer zone. However, Lado Vardzelashvili spends most of his working time with the guests from abroad and does not remember the plight of the “miserable people” who are waiting for him at his chamber.

“I visited the governor the day before yesterday, he asked me to come next day. The next day was a holiday- Mtskhetoba. On the day after the holiday I went but I was not allowed to see the governor. I was told that he was meeting with foreign guests. I am tired. How many times do I have to come and still fail to see the governor?” asked the inhabitant of village Karbi. This person only wanted to make a complaint about his destroyed house.

The people from the village of Nikozi are also discontent and very angry as well.

The inhabitants of Zemo Nikozi, Gori District receive pasta and a small quantity of flour once every 20 days. The village is practically divided in two parts. The Georgian police protect only the village center with only several police cars. The villagers say they are protecting the Georgian police and not the other way around The Nikozians returned even to those houses that are far from a Georgian block post; these are located not far from Tskhinvali.

“The Ossetians have to pass our houses before they reach a Georgian block post. I do not understand why did they even allow us to return to our houses? Is this only for the Ossetians to kill us? The Ossetians go to the houses where the lights are on at night and start knocking at the door, shooting and shouting. They threaten us and demand that we go from here as we are not on our own land…. Take it as you want but when the Russians were here the Ossetians would not dare to go about raiding so freely. Just ask whey the Georgian police are not standing in front of the houses of civilians?  Now it looks like as if we are protecting the police” stated the Nikozians, and it should be the other way around.