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“American Embassy Should Know How They Fight Against Trafficking in Georgia”

July 18, 2007

trefikingib.gifGori District Court sentenced Zaza Amiridze, a resident of Gori, to twelve-year-imprisonment; he was accused for trafficking. Gia Amashukeli, lawyer for Amiridze, said that the accusation against his client was groundless and aimed at demonstrating the law enforcers’ „ostentatious fight against trafficking.”

Lia Mukhashavria, lawyer and the head of the non-governmental organization “Human Rights Priorities” agrees with Amashukeli. She said that large-scaled project was launched within the framework of US Aid Program and it aims to train specialists to fight against trafficking. If law enforcers fail to find any real facts, they have to make up artificial cases. Amiridze’s case was stark example of the situation. Natia Kaliashvili, lawyer for the Human Rights Center’s Gori office, agrees with the idea. She claims that Amiridze’s case demonstrates how our government wastes the money apportioned from the USA. Zaza Amiridze’s mother applied to the Human Rights Center’s (HRIDC) Gori Office for help. Family members of the prisoner want to inform the US Ambassador to Georgia about the situation and to demand thorough investigation of the case.

Kyrgyz Girls’ Visit Resulted into Problems for a Gori Resident Who Hosted Them

Kyrgyz girls, Jamilia Ismanova, Nigora Egambardieva and Nigora Jusupova went to Turkey to work. These girls met each other on their way to Turkey. They were trapped into a Turkish Hotel where they had to serve the clients sexually. One day Turkish police found out that those girls did not have visa and deported them. The trafficked victims decided to travel home via Georgia and Baku.

Nigora Egamberdieva: “From Uzbekistan we arrived in Tashkent and then in Istanbul. It was Jamilia Ismanova who was deported from Istanbul and then they deported us with her too. We wanted to go home via Baku. Having arrived at Vale Custom House, custom officers led us onto the coach to Tbilisi. There we met Ana Mazanashvili, a Gori resident. Initially she thought we were from Turkey. We told Ana we were going to stay in Gori for short time until we received money from our relatives to travel home. We had too little money on us.”

The coach stopped at the turning to Gori direction and Ana Mazanashvili took all three girls to her own house. At Ana’s house, Kyrgyz girls met Ana’s friend, Zaza Amiridze and her two neighbors, Vakho and Dato Gozalishvilis.

After two-month-stay in Gori the girls left for Baku. One of them, Jamilia Ismanova, was detained by custom officers on the train because she could not produce passport. Consequently, they sent the girl back to Georgia. Jamilia Ismanova accidentally met officials from Special Operation Department (SOD). The officials found out that Jamilia Ismanova became trafficked victim in Gori. Several hours later the girl prepared the appeal and the criminal investigation was launched on the fact. SOD arrested Zaza Amiridze, a bailiff at Gori District Court as well as Ana Mazanashvili who was on her way to Turkey.

What happened With Kyrgyz Girls in Gori?

Ana Mazanashvili: “Custom officers led three girls onto the coach at Vale Custom House. There were two drivers, a woman, two Turkish men and me on the coach. The officers asked us to take care of them till Tbilisi. Poor girls were crying…I took them to my house in Gori. There they met my friend Zaza and we hosted our gusts according to our Georgian tradition. It turned out that Ismanova had a birthday on that day. She was very worried about her incident in Turkey and we decided to celebrate her the birthday. Initially, I took them to the bathhouse and then we went to the restaurant “Salkhino”

“In October of 2006 Zaza Amiridze met Kyrgyz citizens, Jamilia Ismanova, Nigora Jusupova and Nigora Egamberdieva at Ana Mazanashvili’s house. On that day they all went to the restaurant. Mazanashvili ordered Ismanova to follow one of their companions to serve him sexually. The girl tried to resist them but Zaza Amiridze started to assault her using foul language. Everyday, Mazanashvili and Amiridze made Ismanova serve clients under threat. Then they shared the money earned from Ismanova’s trafficking. When the grill resisted, violators severely punished her,” states the bill of particulars.

Other Kyrgyz girls categorically denied Jamilia Ismanova’s statements. They claimed that their fiend had never been locked in the room; just the opposite she could do everything-she was able to meet anyone she wanted. Ana Mazanashvili and Zaza Amiridze did not like her behavior and it was reason of their arguments.

Zaza Amiridze wrote in his testimony that while they were in the restaurant “Salkhino” Jamilia Ismanova fancied soldiers sitting at next table. In case materials there is also a photo taken during the party and everybody looks happy in it. However, the court did not consider it to be a solid proof because the crime was committed later.

Jamilia Ismanova: “At the restaurant Jamilia introduced me to three Turkish men. They took me to the hotel. The men told me that they had paid sixty lari to Ana and I was to serve them sexually. On the next day Ana took me home.”

Nigora Egamberdieva and Nigora Jusupova said that they moved to the hotel “Inturist” because there was not enough room at Ana’s house. Soon, certain Mahmud transferred money to girls from Turkey. They did not want to leave Gori. They made friends with Ramaz Tsatsiashvili, director of the Gori Culture and Rest Park, with Vakhtang Gozalishvili, sergeant for Tank Unit and with some other people in Gori. During two months Tsatsiashvili and Gozalishvili were looking after the young women.

Soon Kyrgyz citizens learned that police was looking for them. Relationship between Ana Mazanashvili and Kyrgyz girls worsened. Hostess said that she got fed up with their long-time visit and quarreled with them quite often. Ana claimed that her guests had enough money to leave fore their native country but they did not want to leave Gori.

Ana Mazanashvili: “They were walking round the city. They used to disappear for several days. Once, Jamilia left home and got lost. I informed Zurab Chabukiani, a high-ranking official from the police department, who advised me to wait for her some more time and if I she did not appear I should have applied to the police. On the same evening Jamilia called me and said she was living with a boy. The whole city witnessed her immoral behavior and how could she be a trafficked victim?!”

The Human Rights Center got in touch with Zurab Chabukiani, Deputy Head of the Shida Kartli Regional Department. “I knew Ana Mazanashvili. Once I met her with those girls and she told me they were her guests. Some time later Ana called me and said one of them had disappeared. I advised to look for her carefully and if there were no result she could apply to the police. Fortunately, the girl returned and law enforcers did not have to involve the fact. As for other details in the case, I do not know anything,” said Chabukiani.

Gia Amashukeli, lawyer for Ana Mazanashvili and Zaza Amiridze, said he had never heard trafficked victims enjoyed parties together with traffickers. “Witnesses stated that Ismanova could not be a trafficked victim. Neighbors could see her walking along the street several times a day. Those women were buying jewelry; were going to restaurants. If she was a trafficked victim, why she did not apply to correspondent bodies for help. Could she enjoy parties when she was a trafficked victim? She claimed that Amiridze beat her in the restaurant and she lost a baby by miscarriage. Should not the court have interrogated personnel from the restaurant and doctor to find out the truth?”

Nigora Egamberdieva:  “Zaza Amiridze was arguing with Jamilia because he did not want her to walk along the street alone. There were not good living conditions at Ana’s house and soon we moved to a hotel. Vakho Gozalishvili arranged separate flat for Jamilia. Ramaz Tsatsiashvili took us to the hotel but later we also joined Jalimia in the separate house. Ismanova asked Tsatsiashvili to find some job in Sauna for her. She was always looking around and seeking men to entertain with them. Ana and Zaza never seized our passports. Jamilia also never complained that somebody harassed her.

Jamilia Ismanova: “Zaza came up to me and ordered to get ready in fifteen minutes. I had pains in abdomen and could not put on cloths. I said I was feeling bad, but he started beating me and hit me in the abdomen. Then they took me to a gynecologist where they found out that I had lost baby by miscarriage. In addition to that, I had some venereal disease. They forced me to work in Sauna. Certain Nina paid 20 lari to Ana Mazanashvili for me.”
It turned out that the flat, where Tsatsiashvili took Kyrgyz girls, belonged to current Kaspi District Governor, Vakhtang Maisuradze. The letter said that he had seen those girls in his flat but could not notice any suspicious situation there.

Vakhtang Maisuradze (an extract from the testimony): “I have known Ramaz Tsatsiashvili since we were at school. We have very close relationship. At that time I was a Deputy Gubernator of the region (Mikheil Kareli was a Gubernator) and rented a flat. Suddenly, in November of 2006, I had to move to Kaspi to work and could not collect all my cloths. I left the key to Ramaz Tsatsiashvili. Having arrived in Gori I accompanied Ramaz to the flat and saw a woman there. I took my luggage and left the place. I did not talk with the woman.

It seems that the Kyrgyz girl did not complain about being locked in the room with Kaspi District Governor either.

All in all, girls with venereal diseases remained in Gori for two months. It is evident that Jamilia Ismanova’s presence in the city created problems for everybody. Then they heard that police was seeking her and Tsatsiashvili decided to send Ismanova to her motherland.
The director of the park sent only Jamilia by train to Baku and gave 33 USD. The girl could not escape Azerbaijan custom officers without passport though she managed to escape Georgian officers. Having arrived back, Jamilia Ismanova turned out in the Special Operative Department. There she prepared appeal about her incident in Gori.

At the final court hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office detained Nigora Egamberdieva, Nigora Jusupova and Vakhtang Gozalishvili for contradicting the testimony. They stated that initial testimonies made during pretrial investigation were not written by them. Investigator and the interpreter had a fault in it.

Vakhtang Gozalishvili said that he was drunk when being interrogated at the SOD and did not know what he was speaking about. All three witnesses were arrested for contradicting the testimonies.

Mother of Zaza Amiridze claimed that her son is arbitrarily detained on the basis of groundless testimony made by a certain woman. The accused side has petitioned to the US Ambassador to Georgia. The lawyer is going to appeal to Strasbourg Court.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

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