Address of Human Rights Center about Political Persecution of a Citizen

Human Rights Center is concerned about political persecution against Nato Usenashvili that has already acquired systemic character.  

On July 20, 2012 Nato Usenashvili was appointed to the position of director at the pre-school education institution in Sighnaghi district. During parliamentary elections of October 2012, she was a member of the Sighnaghi DEC №13 from the United National Movement.

After the parliamentary elections Nato Usenashvili was summoned to the police and prosecutor's offices; she was told she breached the law by taking a salary both from kindergarten and DEC. 

As Nato Usenashvili claims, chairman and deputy chairman of Sighnaghi municipal board demanded her to quit job. They also demanded her to sack some of employees from the kindergarten.  Nato Usenashvili sent petitions to the municipal board but either they did not answer at all or answered two or three months later that hindered normal functioning of the kindergarten and proper implementation of the director’s duties. 

After months-long unsuccessful persecution, on April 8, 2013, Sighnaghi municipal board sacked Nato Usenashvili from job without any grounds. Usenashvili appealed the decision at the Sighnaghi district court and the court upheld her appeal and restored Nato Usenashvili to her position.  

On August 6 2013, Nato Usenashvili renewed her duties. In parallel to that municipal board and district administration continued oppression on Nato Usenashvili through different commissions and inspection to compel her to leave job. A financial commission was set up based on the order of the municipal board, which started inspection of the financial documents in the kindergarten. 

Two months after the restoration the municipal board again dismissed Nato Usenashvili from the job. However, on November 27, 2014, the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal statement and restored Nato Usenashvili to the position. However, Nato Usenashvili has not received the court judgment yet, and the municipal board forwarded the financial documents of the kindergarten to the financial police for further investigation. 

Usenashvili claims that Signagi district majoritarian MP Gela Gelashvili also persecutes her, who threatened her with arrest unless she quits job voluntarily. 

Human Rights Centre Calls on: 

The Sighnaghi Municipal Board and the majoritarian MP,   to stop political persecution against Nato Usenashvili. 

Kakheti regional unit of the investigation Department of the Investigation Service at the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, to enforce the judgments of the Sighnaghi District Court and Court of Appeal and not to use investigative actions as a tool of political persecution. 

Chairwoman of the Human Rights and Civic Integration Committee at the Parliament of Georgia to exercise effective Parliamentary control over the breached legal rights of Nato Usenashvili. 

                                                                                              Human Rights Centre