“Shall I Die of Hunger Because I Am Russian?”

Maka Malakmadze, Batumi

Larisa Sparikhina applied to the Human Rights Center for help. Sparikhina does not feel safe in Adjara Autonomous Republic and thinks she is persecuted because of Russian ethnicity.

The lonely pensioner Larisa Sparikhina lives in the village of Salibauri in Khelvachauri district. She thinks she is not protected because the local government does not pay attention to her problems. Sparikhina requested the Khelvachauri district administration to change the roof of her house. “The house is very old and rain is leaking through the roof. I applied to the district administration several times and requested to change plates on the roof. Finally they satisfied my request but brought second-hand plates and they are worse than the ones on my roof.”

We applied to the public relation office of the Khelvachauri district administration several times but they did not release any information about Sparikhina.

Monthly income of Sparikhina is 105 GEL: she gets a pension and allowance for socially disabled person. However, she has not received the allowance since September though the reason was not explained to her at the Agency for Social Subsidies. “Why should they check my family every month? They examined it in May and then I received allowance for three months. In September it was ceased and checked me again. The social agent increases points each time. I have sold almost everything from my house in order to buy food. If you come to my house, you will not find a table to serve coffee to you. However, I cannot understand how my points are increased.”

The Human Rights Center got in touch with the Khelvachauri district agency for social subsidies and they said the issue of Sparikhina is already cleared up. “Tbilisi sent lists of people for repeated examination and Sparikhina was on the list. Thus, we had to examine her family again. Although the allowance was ceased for some time but now she will receive the allowance for missed months too,” said Badri Mumladze, head of the Agency.

Larisa Sparikhina said she had been hungry for two months. “If I die of hunger, the allowance of two missed months will not help me,” said Sparikhina. This time, her family received 34 330 points.

“I have lived in Georgia since my youth. I love Georgia and I am sorry about tense relationship between Russia and Georgia. However, it shall not impact public relations. Shall I die of hunger because I am Russian?”