Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

“You Cannot Torment Svaneti Region!”

May 21, 2010
Nana Pazhava, Presa.ge

“You cannot torment Svaneti region!” this phrase is an extract from a video-recording of the violent action of the officials of the governmental and the ministry of internal affairs in Mestia on May 3; the leaders of the opposition parties in Svaneti region exclusively provided the presa.ge with the recording.

The candidates and the other representatives of the society openly comment on the incident which is described in the special reportage - “Demarche of the Government in Mestia and Repressed Residents of Svaneti Region” which describes the special operation carried out in Mestia (presa.ge/index.php?text=news&i=10853). Then, the presa.ge was informed that somebody video-recorded the operation and for certain reasons it was not published from the very beginning. Finally, the residents of Svaneti region kept promise given to the journalist and several days later they published the proof of the special operation.

People can see what happened at night of May 3 in Mestia district and can make their own conclusions. The initial length of the video-recording - 20 minutes – was reduced to 8 minutes because of dark pictures; however, it did not lose emotional significance.

In the beginning of the recording, opposition leaders managed to take the candidate of the political party “Tavisupleba” Leri Nakani from the administration building where he was arrested. By that time, another candidate Vakhtang Nakani was still in the building who was compelled to cancel his candidature in favor of the National Movement by the high-ranking officials of the government and law enforcement bodies.

In the video we can see part of armed officers of the MIA and vehicles which were mobilized in front of the Mestia district administration building. Another part was already ordered to bring other candidates of the opposition parties from various parts of the districts.

In one episode we can see the three rooms where single mandate MP from Mestia region Kakha Kvitsiani is sitting at the window.

In the video-recording you can hear the screaming of women who protest the violence outside the building. One of them is the wife of Vakhtang Nakani who needed medical assistance on the place. We can hear the voice of her daughter who is worried about her mother.

“You will also finish your governance! ... What is going on?! Who are these people; who is Gorozia (Samegrelo Zemo Svaneti regional governor)?! … Why do the TV-Channels lie to us?! Is it your democracy?! We will not keep silence! … You will be punished for it. We will appeal to the international organizations for help; we will say everything before cameras and will not forgive you! … So, you claim the candidates arrived here according to their wishes, don’t you?! Why did you bring them here?!  We cannot breathe in this country any longer; people, go out in the street! … They damaged the light-posts on the road between Tsitskhvari and Jvari on purpose to arrive here like wolves!”

In the dark we can see the head of the Samegrelo Zemo Svaneti region police department Tengiz Gunava who ordered to take the car of one of the candidates from the area after he left the building. However, he is resisted by the people who were gathered nearby. “You should remember it very well!” – Gunava supposedly told it to Nodar Japaridze, the husband of the single mandate candidate Nino Japaridze; the head of the Mestia district police department Gia Shedania and Gunava threatened Japaridze: “You and your family will be punished for it!”

We can hear the dialogue between the policeman and the women.

-We have to dream of Shevardnadze’s time because of the current government.

-Then you will have him in your house.

-I think he was better than you are; I did not think like that before; but now I am sure in it.

-We serve our country and people.

-How do you serve the people, by killing people? By threatening us with weapon? Come and kill us! Everybody is afraid of you because you have terrorized everybody! Let the regional governor come out and speak with us!

Presa.ge preserves confidentiality and does not publish the name of the man who video-recorded the special operation.

You can see the video-recording on the website: www.presa.ge : http://www.presa.ge/index.php?text=news&i=10936

News