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Representative of the Village to the Municipality Board and Village Governor Beat A Villager for Having Denounced them With Regional Governor

July 31, 2009

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

After Shida Kartli, Regional Governor, visited the village of Karbi in the Gori district local resident Guram Tevdorashvili was beaten by the village governor and representative of the village to the Municipality Board. Both public official pleaded guilty and explain their behavior by the claim of temporary insanity. They spoke about the incident in their statement to the representatives of the Public Defender of Georgia. However, none of them have been punished yet.

On July 22 Lado Vardzelashvili and Shida Kartli, Regional Governor, suddenly visited the village of Karbi.

The Governor met and talked with local people in the square of the village. He claimed everything was ok. It is the village where a bomb was dropped during the war in August. 8 people died in this incident in the same square where the Governor met villagers several days ago. There are total 150 families live in the village.

Soon Guram Tevdorashvili joined the people. “I could not stand seeing the Regional Governor and villagers speaking so politely with each other,” said Guram Tevdorashvili and interfered in their conversation. Lado Vardzelashvili learned from him that villagers who did not deserve it were compensated and had their houses repaired.

Lado Vardzelashvili categorically demanded Guram Tevdorashvili to name the people whose houses were repaired unfairly. Guram Tevdorashvili did not want to denounce the neighbors but suggested that the Governor to see his house.  After seeing his house Vardzelashvili was convinced that the houses of Guram Tevdorashvili and his brothers needed reconstruction just like the houses of Valeri Bidzinashvili, Mishiko Sidamonidze, Lili Gnolidze.

Misha Sidamonidze, another resident of Karbi, spoke about the poor work of the Village Governor. He blamed the official for being inattentive to the local problems. “When we try to attract his attention, he says we can sue him anywhere without any result because he has a serious protector,” said Misha Sidamonidze to the Regional Governor.

The Governor demanded that Misha Sidamonidze name the protector of the Village governor Vasiko Tevdorashvili and he replied: “He might mean you to be his protector,” said Sidamonidze.

Afterwards, the Regional Governor followed Guram Tevdorashvili to see his house. On his way Vardzelashvili saw the house of Valeri Bidzinashvili. The Governor was surprised because the roof of the house had been repaired without having reconstructed the building itself.

“What is this?” Vardzelashvili asked, surprised. “Why would they need the roof if the walls are falling down?”  the Regional Governor looked at Levan Bidzinashvili, representative of the village to the municipality board.

Having seen the house of Guram Tevdorashvili, the Governor demanded the representative of the village to prepare the list of people whose houses would be repaired.

“We have lost the lists,” mumbled the representative. “What do you mean by losing it?” asked Vardzelashvili. “Prepare new lists in two days” the Governor demanded. Since the villagers saw the “justice” of the Governor, they became braver and Lili Gnolidze asked him to see her house too. Vardzelashvili was about to see the house but Levan Bidzinashvili promised him to resolve all problems and that it was not necessary to see all the houses. Nevertheless, Lili Gnolidze categorically demanded the regional Governor to see her house.

By the way, Tengiz Gnolidze lives next-door to Lili Gnolidze. The roof of Tengiz Gnolidze’s house was repaired but villagers told us there are a lot of construction materials in his yard; supposedly Levan Bidzinashvili will use the materials to construct a new house for him. Bidzinashvili asked the rRgional Governor not to see the house of Lili Gnolidze in order to prevent him from seeing the stolen construction materials.

“Vardzelashvili and I almost had an argument. He demanded to see the people who had their houses illegally repaired. Generally, as soon as I interfered in the conversation Levan Bidzinashvili and the Village Governor started to speak aggressively in front of the Regional Governor. Later, Vardzelashvili personally saw what was going on in the village,” said Guram Tevdorashvili.

The Governor rebuked the Village Governor and representative of the village to the municipality board in front of the victimized family. He rebuked them for not being active to assist the family. “I had different information from you-- I thought everything was ok in the village,” Vardzelashvili was complaining.

After Vardzelashvili and other officials from the regional administration left the village, the Village Governor and the representative of the village to the municipality board beat Guram Tevdorashvili in the village center. Today, he has a brain concussion, feels sick and has pains.

Next day, Giorgi Tevdorashvili, brother of Guram Tevdorashvili, went out in the street where he met Levan Berdzenishvili. He demanded the official to explain why he had beaten his brother. Levan Bidzinashvili hit him in the right arm with his leg.

Levan Bidzinashvili and Vasiko Tevdorashvili pleaded guilty in beating the villager but they say they had to beat Guram Tevdorashvili.

The Village Governor stated that initially Guram Tevdorashvili argued with the representative of the village to municipality board. “At that moment I was talking on the phone and could not hear what they were talking about,” said Vasil Tevdorashvili. After the phone call the Village governor heard that Guram Tevdorashvili insulted him. So he got angry and demanded that Tevdorashvili go home.

“Since he insulted my sister and mother, I got anxious and pushed Guram Tevdorashvili and beat him but the people parted us,” said the Village Governor to the representatives of the Public Defender.

He also pleaded that initially Vasiko Tevdorashvili beat Guram Tevdorashvili. He added that the next morning the brother of Guram Tevdorashvili, Giorgi Tevdorashvili was provoked by him.

Giorgi Tevdorashvili said he had learned about the incident the next morning and demanded explanations from the officials. In the morning Guram Tevdorashvili felt sick because he had a brain concussion. The Village Governor told Giorgi Tevdorashvili he did not want to speak with him and hit him in his arm with his leg when the latter was squatting.
The houses of Guram and Giorgi Tevdorashvilis were seriously damaged during the war. Guram Tevdorashvili was wounded and their mother died.

During the bombardment the nephew of Tevdorashvilis, who was soldier in the Tank Battalion in Gori, was killed.Guram Tevdorashvili was wounded and was taken to Gori hospital on August 9. Soon, an emergency situation was declared in Gori and   the wounded man, together with his relatives, fled to Ateni Valley.There he himself cured his wounded legs. “My wife removed the debris of the shell from my legs,” said Tevdorashvili. Nevertheless, the wounded man and his family have not yet received any kind of assistance. And furthermore, the Village Governor and the representative of the village to the Municipality Board beat him ruthlessly.

The regional and district governors learned about the incident the next day in the afternoon. “We will wait for the findings of the police,” said the District Governor.

The regional and district governors do not intend to use their legal authority to terminate the authority of the village governor before the investigation ends. “I do not have such a right,” said the District Governor who appoints village governors. According to the Law on Self Governance he is entitled to fire his representative in the village.


Vasil Tevdorashvili and Levan Bidzinashvili have breached Article 125 of the Criminal Code of Georgia that makes criminal beating or some other kind of violence that results in  physical pain but not injury.

The Tkviavi village police already took up the case. The Village Governor hopes nobody will confirm the incident in the village.

“Does any villager confirm the incident?”Levan Berdzenishvili was asking the journalist. “I have not heard about any similar incident. You can write whatever you want but do not dare to write nasty things about me.”

When we arrived in the village of Karbi Levan Bidzinashvili was in the village center and when we went toward the house of the victim, he and the Village Governor left the village immediately. They got rid of journalists.

District and regional governors are waiting for the end of the investigation.Levan Bidzinashvili was anzious and more curious whether anybody in the village confirmed the incident.

Luiza Tevdorashvili, the wife of the victim, told us that the Village Governor and the village representative to the Municipality Board have been terrorizing the villagers for a long time-- they say:“It depends on our wish; we will support or we will destroy you,” Vasiko Tevdorashvili and Levan Bidzinashvili threatened the Tevdorashvilis.

Ana Jebisashvili, a specialist at the regional administration, said about Bidzinashvili and Vasil Tevdorashvili that they are good officials. “I was collecting data about the students to assist them in funding their education. The village representative to the Municipality Board and the Village Governor were calling me every day and inquired about the fate of students from Karbi. So, these people are really worried about their village,” Ana Jebisashvili tried to convince me.

P.S.

By the way, Levan Bidzinashvili was a protégé of the former Regional Governor Mikheil Kareli. He was together with Mikheil Kareli when the supporters of Okruashvili, former Defense Minister of Georgia, tried to break into the building of the Gori Municipality Board and demanded to restore Kareli to the position of the Regional Governor. It happened in September of 2007. Members of the municipality board were not allowed into the building and they removed Kareli from his position. Today, Levan Bidzinashvili is together with the current Regional Governor Lado Vardzelashvili and he beat Guram Tevdorashvili for having denounced him with the Regional Governor. The rest of the members of the municipality board - Temur Apkhazashvili, Kakha Kareli and Kakha Ergemlidze-- blame Bidzinashvili for deceiving Mikheil Kareli and Irakli Okruashvili who supported him to occupy the position.

As for Vasil Tevdorashvili, he is blaed for having arrested Aleksandre Tevdorashvili, political activist who took part in the rallies on April 9. In February of 2009 Aleksandre Tevdorashvili took more than 40 people from the village when the regional office of Nino Burjanadze’s party was opened. Village governor then threatened Aleksandre Tevdorashvili to punish for his action. The village governor and village representative to the municipality board still punish the most victimized family during the war.

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