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83-Year-Old Teacher Urges Government for Help

March 6, 2009

Dimitri Gogishvili, a resident of Zemo Khviti in Gori district, was wounded during the war in August, 2008. He is 83. Shells were dropped in his yard during the war operations and his house was half-destroyed. Despite that, government has not compensated him. Dimitri Gogishvili is former teacher; he worked at Georgian School # 1 in Tskhinvali, then he was a director of the secondary school in the village of Nikozi for 30 years.

“When I worked in Tskhinvali School Ossetian, Armenian and Jewish pupils learned together with Georgian children. When I was teaching, one of Ossetian pupils, Giorgi Bestauti, who was from mountainous village and could not speak Georgian well, got fond of Georgian literature so much that afterwards he translated “Vephkhistkaosani” (famous Georgian poem of the XII century written by Shota Rustaveli) from Georgian into Ossetian; he wrote rhymes in Ossetian and Georgian languages,” the old man is recalling the friendship of Georgian and Ossetian people in pride.

During the war he was in Zemo Khviti. He personally witnessed how innocent people died during the hostilities.

“On August 6 intensive bombardment of Georgian villages started; they were firing in the direction of the villages of Gori district; there was terrible noise. I spent all the night in fear but in the morning, when I finally managed to sleep, a terrible noise woke me up. It was morning of August 7 the noise repeated and two bombs dropped near my gate several meters away from the house; the wave of explosion pushed me out of the bed; when I recovered I was wounded. Ruins of bricks, blocks and glasses were over me. I had my eye-sight worsened then. The bomb had destroyed the entire wall; the gate was damaged; every wall of the house and stairs were damaged; all windows are smashed. The wine-orchard was also damaged. Curtains, chandeliers and beds were damaged in the house. Bed of the child, chairs, table, fridge, TV set, washing machine, vessel, clothes, sofa and everything were damaged,” said Dimitri Gogishvili.

Despite poor health conditions he did not leave the village for several days.

The old man is complaining about the destroyed harvest. “I have everything destroyed: beans, tomatoes, corns, cabbage,” complained the old man who lived on his harvest during the year.

Dimitri Gogishvili stated that 11 people died during the war in his village. “Two of them were soldiers; some of them were killed when they were fleeing from the village; others were killed when their houses were bombed; several people were killed on the road.”

The old man should be immediately operated on his eyes that he cannot afford. He urges to the authority for assistance.

“My pension is not enough; I have plenty of medicines to buy. Maybe, the government will apportion some compensation for the victims like me. Every wall in my house is damaged, the house is looted; we could not take harvest either; it is difficult to say how I can live on.”

Koba Tlashadze, head of Social Service Department at Gori district administration, stated that residents of Zemo Khviti and Nikozi should be operated on for free and they can enjoy the assistance of state program. Tlashadze added that patients should provide their documents to Tamar Melikaia, a representative of the Ministry of Healthcare.

As for the damaged plots of the people the government has not envisaged funds for it in the budget. However, 90 % of the income of local residents was harvest from their plots.

Many people from the villages of buffer zone apply to the Human Rights Center. In fact, they do not have information about state programs that are envisaged for their assistance.

Tea Tedliashvili, Gori

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