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Police Prohibited Drivers to Work on April 9, 2009 in the Regions

March 18, 2009

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Policemen prohibited the drivers of mini-buses and buses to work on April 9 in the regions. According to the drivers, law enforcers warned them against transporting people from the region to the capital where protest demonstration is planned on that day. The drivers will have to refuse people to take them to Tbilisi despite the amount of the offered money. The policemen threatened them with having problems with patrol police and other structures unless they obey their warning.

On April 9 several opposition political parties intend to hold protest demonstration where they will demand resignation of the President of Georgia. Organizing committee of the demonstration has collected signatures in the regions.

Officers from Telavi and Gurjaani police departments were watching the process of collecting signatures in their towns because they wanted to find out who would dare to join the protest of opposition parties in their districts; despite the fact almost 5 000 signatures were collected.

From February 26 to March 2 Kakheti News Agency carried out polls in the region to find out how many people would support the protest demonstration of opposition parties. 674 respondents were interviewed in the villages of Gurjaani, Telavi, Sighnaghi, Lagodekhi, Kvareli and Sagarejo districts. The question was: are you going to take part in the demonstration of the political parties and demand resignation of the president? Only 43 people out of the interviewed is going to take part in the demonstration with their own expenses; 221 people will take part in the demonstration if they are provided with transport; 184 people are not going to take part in the protest and 116 people have not made their minds yet. 110 people did not answer the question.

The polls show that majority of population is going to take part in the demonstration; however, they will join the protest if they are provided with transport.

Several days ago, Nino Burjanadze, leader of the political party “Democratic Movement-United Georgia” and former chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia stated in Telavi that her party will provide residents of Kakheti region with transport to get to Tbilisi and take part in the demonstration. However, Burjanadze did not say when and how the people will be taken to Tbilisi.

However, according to the drivers of mini-buses and buses law enforcers prohibited them to work on April 9. Policemen added that it was order coming from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for every region of Georgia.

“I had just returned from work when a policeman called me out in the street. He warned me not to accept the offer of taking people from Kakheti to Tbilisi despite the amount of money I would be offered. He added that unless I obeyed this order I would have problems with patrol police and other governmental structures. I think Saakashvili will not resign and I do not want to have problems. So, regardless the offered money I will not work on April 9,” said one of the drivers working on Telavi-Tbilisi itinerary whose name is kept anonymous for obvious reasons.

Another driver stated he was warned by the board of their transport enterprise not to take people from the region to Tbilisi on April 9.

“The board directly told us that police department had ordered them to give similar directions to us and we have to obey the orders. This order was made for every region of Georgia and boards of transport enterprises asked us not to create problems for them,” said driver of the bus, I. E.

The drivers recall the incidents that occurred short time ago when patrol policemen ceased driving licenses from them for having transported people from region to Tbilisi; some drivers were even fined; unidentified people damaged their buses and sacked their relatives from governmental agencies.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not make comment in regard with the prohibition. Despite many attempts, Shota Khizanishvili, head of administration of the ministry and Zurab Gvenetadze, spokesperson of the ministry, did not answer our phone calls.

Lawyers of the Human Rights Center state that prohibiting drivers to transport people from the region to Tbilisi on April 9 is restriction of their legal right that is punished under the Georgian law. However, the lawyers said that unfortunately those policemen will not be punished; even more, they will be promoted for well-done job.

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