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Family members of people, supporting opposition parties in Gori, are threatened with being fired from jobs.

June 4, 2009

Tea Tedliashvili, Gori

The administration of the Tax Inspection of the Shida Karli region demands that Natia Martinenko, an employee of the TI, write a letter of resignation letter. On May 27, Martinenko was informed that she was going to be fired on political grounds.

A brother of Natia Martinenko, Giorgi Martinenko, was beaten 4 times for political reasons.  A criminal investigation was initiated on two of the incidents but the police do not hurry to resolve the case. The Human Rights Center published an article about one incident several weeks ago. Giorgi Martinenko is an active member of Irakli Okruashvili’s political party. Okruashvili is a former Defense Minister of Georgia.

On May 28, after Natia Martinenko had been informed that the administration of the Tax Inspection was going to fire her, she petitioned the administration to take her due 30-day holiday. The officials at the chancellery of the Tax Inspection sealed and signed her petition, but did not register it. They asked Martinenko to take the document to the Human Resources Office of the Tax Inspection.

On May 29 after 6:00 pm a colleague called Martinenko and asked her to come to the office. At the office it was explained to her that her dismissal from the Tax Inspection was connected with the opposition activities of her brother.

“At the office I was told that the Shida Kartli regional investigation office of the Department for Revenues within the Ministry of Finances had ordered the Tax Inspection to fire me. They asked me to write a letter of resignation but I categorically refused. I have two little children, 6 and 2 years old, and my husband is not employed and could not understand why I should write a letter of resignation. Recently I have received many awards and bonuses. I had never been late for work. So they should have had some reason to fire me. If my work was poor, they should have made at least one remark to me about it. The administration told me unless I write a letter of resignation; they would have to change the documents about my work. That means, I could even be arrested for fraudulent documents. In fact, the Tax Inspection does not have anybody who can replace me, but, they cannot tell me the reason for dismissing me,” said Natia Martinenko.

Natia Martinenko already has petitioned Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia, to Davit Bakradze, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, to Sozar Subari, Public Defender of Georgia, Tamar Khidasheli, Cchairperson of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association and to Ucha Nanuashvili, executive director of the Human Rights Center.

The Gori office of the Human Rights Center petitioned Mamuka Chachanidze, Interim Head of the Shida Kartli Tax Inspection to inform the Center about the reason why they demand Natia Martinenko to write a letter of resignation.

The Human Rights Center calls upon the Shida Kartli Regional Tax Inspection to avoid illegal activities. In addition the Center requests the Tax Inspection not to fire Natia Martinenko for political reasons.

The Human Rights Center appeals to the Shida Kartli regional police department immediately to investigate the harassment of Giorgi Martinenko.

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