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Head of CSD Was Fired Because of Pre-Election Oppression

May 13, 2010
Shorena Ghlonti, Guria

The head of the Lanchkhuti district division of the Constitutional Security Department was fired because of the oppression on the single mandate candidate of the Alliance for Georgia.

“CSD persecutes the candidates of the opposition parties at the approaching municipality elections, “said the leader of the Lanchkhuti district organization of the Alliance for Georgia Elguja Chkhaidze.

Chkhaidze said on April 7, minister of the penitentiary and probation Khatuna Kalmakhelidze visited Lanchkhuti district. She met the people in the culture house; the assistant to the commissary of the village Nigvziani Avtandil Surmanidze also attended the meeting. He is the single mandate candidate of the Alliance for Georgia in the village.

After the meeting, at 2:30 pm the head of the Lanchkhuti district office of the CSD Bukhuti Chkhaidze invited Surmanidze to his office; other high-ranking officials of the department also were in his office. They suggested Surmanidze to refuse participation in the municipal elections in order to avoid further problems.

“I want to note that Avtandil Surmanidze was not scared and he did not refuse to continue his fight for the development of his country,” said Elguja Chkhaidze.

On April 27 at 10:00 am, Avtandil Surmanidze was called to the Lanchkuti district office of the security department. However, reportedly Bukhuti Chkhaidze visited Surmanidze in his house one hour before the meeting. This time, Chkhaidze demanded him not to mention their conversation if investigator asked him anything.

They talked in the car of Bukhuti Chkhaidze. The Lanchkhuti district office of the Alliance for Georgia spread the audio-recording of this conversation.

“I was told that a police officer would visit me and I should not tell him about the meeting with the security department; I should not have mentioned the conversation in the office of the CSD in Lanchkhuti on April 7,” said Surmanidze.

The administration of the Lanchkhuti office of the Alliance had information about the meeting of Surmanidze and Bukhuti Chkhaidze in advance. According to Elguja Chkhaidze, they planned to accompany Surmanidze to the meeting; however, since the time was shifted the plans also changed. The plans of Bukhuti Chkhaidze also changed; several hours later he called Surmanidze to learn whether he had denounced him to the administration of the Alliance.

“What they wanted, did you tell them what we talked about?” asked Bukhuti Chkhaidze and it is very well heard in the audio-recording which was later handed to the local newspaper Guria News.

During the conversation, the CSD official warns the candidate of the opposition party not to inform anybody about their meetings and conversations.

Program director of the Transparency International –Georgia Nina Khatiskatsi reported that the head of the Lanchkhuti district division of the CSD Bukhuti Chkhaidze was fired.

Khatiskatsi added that deputy foreign minister of Georgia Giga Bokeria announced it on May 8 during the working meeting of the inter-institutional group.

Before that, on May 5, Avtandil Surmanidze appealed to the Ozurgeti district prosecutor’s office and complained about the oppression against him.

News