Victimized by Pyrotechnics Request Prohibition Import of Explosives for New Year

Lela Khechoshvili, Kakheti

Over 20 patients applied to the traumatic unit of the Gurjaani Geo Hospital early in 2016. Majority of patients were children. Head of the unit Tamaz Simonishvili said they had operated 3 patients injured by pyrotechnics in their hospital.

“They had serious problems. We amputated a finger for one lady because gangrene started on it,” Simonishvili said.

Victims of the pyrotechnics request prohibition of the import.

“We had firework explosives and last two exploded in my hands. My two fingers were sewed on but needed to amputate one. Such dangerous pyrotechnics should not be imported in Georgia. They bring pyrotechnics from China which does not have Georgian instructions; so we could not read rules. Chinese explosives must be prohibited in Georgia,” injured Tsitsino Datunashvili said.

Doctor Simonishvili said many children get in hospital because they do not know how to use pyrotechnics.

However, instruction in foreign language was not reason of an incident in Tbilisi when 2-years-old child swallowed pyrotechnics placed in the cornflake pack as a gift. Reportedly, the pyrotechnic was decorated with flowers and the gift instruction did not say that it was prohibited to put it in the pocket either. The child was urgently operated in Iashvili Pediatric Hospital. Lawyer Lia Khuroshvili of Human Rights Center said the Law on the Protection of Consumers’ Rights was declared invalid on May 25, 2012 and after that the consumers’ market left without control.

Khuroshvili said the law regulated the rights of consumers and everybody in Georgia had right to request information about the compliance of the goods, work, trading and other service with relevant standards, as well as require safe products, information about number, quality and sort of the products; consumers could also claim reimbursement of the damage caused by the purchased goods, protect his/her rights in the court or relevant state body, unions or commonwealths. 

“However, as noted above, the law has declared invalid and the new law on the consumers’ rights has not been adopted yet. However, relevant institutions work on the bill which will protect the rights of consumers in compliance with the EU standards and requirements. Nowadays, there is no control of production. 

Chinese pyrotechnics do not have Georgian inscriptions; they may have all instructions in Chinese language but Georgian consumers cannot understand them. Thus, consumers’ rights are ignored. Besides that, population also does not follow safety regulations that often causes negative results,” lawyer Lia Khuroshvili said.