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Government Failed to Prevent Opposition from Holding a Demonstration in Zugdidi –Dress Rehearsal for November 2

October 30, 2007
Special Reportage

Youth Organization for the National Movement harassed the demonstrators.

Government failed to prevent the united opposition from holding a demonstration. However, representatives of the establishment successfully used appropriate methods to disperse the demonstration. People, gathered in front of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Regional Administration Building, tried to avoid the harassment of young leaders of the National Movement and protected the opposition leaders.

Particularly active was Koba Rigvava, who was kidnapped by Abkhazian people during the Shamgoni incident and was subsequently decorated by President Saakashvili with the Award of Dignity. Various structures of the Ministry of Interior Affairs controlled the situation in the area. Policemen acted rather like observers than as peacemakers. After the demonstration, law enforcers detained Soso Robakidze, the wife of MP Bidzina Gujabidze, Maka Sakhuria and the leader of the Egalitarian Institute, Lasha Chkhartishvili. Members of the youth branch of the ruling party severely beat Bidzina Gujabidze and Bezhan Gunava, members of Conservative Party.

The cars of the United Opposition approached the Samegrelo region at 1:00 PM. Opposition leaders met local people on their way to Zugdidi and called upon them to join the demonstration in the city. Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, leader of the political movement, “Tavisupleba” (liberty) was met with particular respect in the Abasha District. People were kissing his hand and begged for help. Residents complained that the government threatened them. Drivers were prohibited to drive in Abasha as well as in other districts of the region. The policemen seized their driver’s licenses several days before and categorically warned them against driving in the towns.

If the drivers would take people to the demonstration in Zugdidi, they would be detained. Nearly 3,000 supporters met opposition leaders in Senaki. Having made several official statements and appeals to people, the cars of the opposition members continued their way to the Chkhorotsku District. The government had taken measures to meet the opposition from the early morning and resolved the problem of gathering people by blocking the central market. Local government arranged a boisterous meeting with the opposition. As soon as the opposition approached the Municipality building, they started to smash window glasses from inside the building to imitate that visitors raided the building. Employees of the administration tried to blame the opposition for the incident. They stated that Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Koba Davitashvili and Jondi Bagaturia smashed the glasses themselves and consequently Gia Mebonia, District Municipality Governor and Gia Kharchilava, chairman of the Municipality, were injured.

Opposition leaders and their supporters set off for Zugdidi at 5:00 PM. A lot of people had already gathered by that time in the city center. Office of the political movement “Tavisupleba” became a tribune for the demonstration. Kakha Mikaia, a member of the political council and Tengiz Gergedava, member of the regional organization made statements from the balcony. Jaba Jishkariani and Levan Gogichaishvili, members of the Egalitarian Institute replaced them. People started to gather in front of the cinema “Atriumi” to attend the demonstration and see the documentary movie “Assassination of President Zviad Gamsakhurdia”. However, it became impossible to reach the center because of the government. They removed concrete plates from the surrounding territory of the cinema two days before and made mounts of sand in front of it. Local leaders of the opposition tried to hold demonstration in front of the statue to Ilia Chavchavadze where the leaders of the united opposition joined them.

The government started to provoke the demonstrators from the Ilia Chavchavadze Square and they followed demonstrators until regional administration. The targets for the young members of the National Movement were Goga Khaindrava, one of the leaders of the Egalitarian Institute and MP Bezhan Gunava. Almost every opposition leaders were led out of the territory by security guards and between protective cordons. In parallel to it law enforcers were observing the situation. A large amount of policemen from Foti and Senaki motor-way were delivered in the area to guard the situation. Several supporters of the government met the opposition at the city lane who were holding photos of Saakashvili. An elderly woman seized the photo from one of the activist and slapped him in the face. It was last time when people saw a photo of the president on that day.

“Mothers” in black did not appear at the demonstration though it was announced in Zugdidi in the morning. According to the information, certain amount of money was paid to those women, black clothes were bought for them, a special text was also prepared and they were sent to the city entrance to meet the opposition. MP Grigol Kobalia was author of the scenery who actively manipulated trader women before and after the Rose Revolution too. Organizers mobilized groups from the villages of Tsaishi and Odishi in Zugdidi before the demonstration started and postponed the ‘special operation.” Instead, women were replaced by stronger forces who tried to oppose demonstrators several times. Young leaders of the National Movement were trying to reach opposition leaders; though they failed each time. Afterwards, the young activists tried to attack opposition from the rear and used construction materials and other iron stuff that were in front of the regional administration. However, policemen managed to calm down the situation.

The police managed to prevent the incident but Koba Davitashvili could not avoid eggs thrown at him. Another clash started after opposition leaders were thrown duck eggs at. Davitashvili was the first to leave the demonstration with the help of cordon, Irakli Melashvili and Kakha Shartava followed him and later Goga Khaindrava left the demonstrators who made final estimations of the events.

“I am very pleased with the demonstration and the spirit of Zugdidi residents. A dress-rehearsal for November 2 has succeeded. Today we have defeated the fear. Samegrelo does not belong to Saakashvili, Gorozia, Akhalaias and Kobalias.”     
 
After the demonstration, Khaindrava could not escape the physical assault either. A stranger hit him with a fist when he was sitting in his car and then disappeared. Other leaders of the Egalitarian Institute, Jaba Jishkariani and Levan Gogichaishvili were with him at that moment. They noticed the run-away had a gun in his pocket.

The next wave of controversy moved in front of the statue to Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Young leaders of the National Movement blocked the street and started to look for Khaindrava in the cars. Having not found him, they dragged a flag of the united opposition from the car of Soso Robakidze (father of the murdered Amiran Robakidze) where MP Bidzina Gujabidze, his wife Maka Sakhuria and Lasha Chkhartishvili were also sitting. Policemen in civil clothes and leaders of the national movement attacked young members of the Conservative Party and beat them. At that moment Gujabidze tried to protect young co-thinkers and approached the crowd of people. During the quarrel Gujabidze and Soso Robakidze were injured, as for Lasha Chkhartishvili and Maka Sakhuria, they were detained by the police and then were taken to Zugdidi Police Station. Maka Sakhuria recalls the situation: “Five young men attacked me and pushed me into the car. They were hitting me. Initially they demanded me to give an explanation to them but having consulted the topic with high ranking officials over the phone, they decided to get rid of me. Consequently, they left me close to the petrol station “Wisol”.

At 9:00PM young members of the National Movement attacked MP Bezhan Gunava in front of the administrative building suddenly when he was giving interview to the journalists for the TV Company “Imedi” and Radio “Imedi” together with Bidzina Gujabidze, Maka Sakhuria, Soso Robakidze and Lasha Chkhartishvili. Nearly 30 young people were severely beating Gunava. Initially he was pushed down on the ground and then they started to hit him in the face. The MP tried to escape them but the activists Koba Rigvava, Goga Ghurtskaia, Gela Toloraia, Irakli Tordia and Giorgi Samushia were chasing him. Gunava managed get into the supermarket but they continued to beat him there too.

Patrol police and district attorneys arrived on the scene one hour later; however, they did not try to calm down the situation neither they tried to arrest any of harassers. After ninety-minute-detention in the supermarket, Bezhan Gunava was released by Tengiz Gunava, the head of the Regional Police Main Department and Koba Narsia, Zugdidi Police Department. The bleeding MP was placed in the car of Soso Robakidze. One of the members of the National Movement tried to beat him again and hit fists in the head; but the policemen did not detain him either.  

Lasha Chkhartishvili: “It is dictatorship and not an authoritative regime which cannot oppose the fair protest of the society by any methods but physical violence. They have exceeded all limits and the government uses force against its population. During Aslan Abashidze’s regime (former head of Adjara Region Supreme Council who was considered to be dictator in the region) they did not damage the media represetnatives and TV Cameras… It was a political revenge and it was planned by Saakashvili, Merabishvili and Akhalaia.”

Nana Fazhava, Zugdidi




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