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

Participants of the Demonstration Organized by the United Opposition are Still Being Abused

December 4, 2007
Has the Department for Constitutional Security (DCS) prepared the list for the people who should be detained?!

Siblings Eka and Guram Khvichias attended the demonstration organized by the United Opposition on October 28 in Zugdidi. They were not afraid of being detained and applied to the Human Rights Center’s Zugdidi office for help. The Khvichias are the first who have not kept silent and accused Fridon Antia, a high ranking official of the regional department of the DCS, of abusing them.

Eka and Guram Khvichias are residents of Refa in the Gali District and they have lived in the village of Kortskheli in the Zugdidi district as IDPs for 13 years. Their steady life was disturbed after October 28. Having returned home after the demonstration on October 28, the Khvichias encountered negative and insulting attitudes from their friends and neighbors for the first time. Eka Khvichia: “People were meeting us in the street, at our house and in the village center and laughed at us saying “Don’t you want Saakashvili?! Are you opposition?! Do you want to overthrow the authority?! Were you bribed for thirty lari?!” The representatives of the village council told us that we could not change anything, Saakashvili would stay on as president.”

Eka Khvichia attended the opposition demonstration together with her brother and friend. She was standing there and was listening to the leaders of the political parties. Eka Khvichia: “We have not made statements on the demonstration. We did not say anything when they threw eggs at us and poured water from high buildings on us. We did not protest the quarrels initiated by the members of the National Movement in front of the administrative building. Consequently, if a person takes part in a peaceful demonstration s/he becomes a traitor.”

Representatives of the government and law enforcement bodies remembered the Khvichias again after the famous events of November 7. On November 9, Guram Khvichia was invited by the village governor, Mamuka Lashkhia, to the administration office. There he saw the list of the people who should be detained.

Eka Khvichia: “The village governor warned my brother to be quiet because both he and I were on the list of people of those who should be arrested. The accusation against us was anti-national agitation. I do not k now what is going on. A lot of people from our village attended that demonstration; should they arrest hundreds of people?! I am an unemployed historian and attend church to pray. I have neither called anyone, nor discussed politics with anybody.”

Mamuka Lashkhia does not deny that he had spoken with Khvichia, but categorically denies having threatened him. Lashkhia mentioned the name of an official from the DCS who called him at the department; however it was quite accidental that he mentioned his name and confirmed the meeting. Mamuka Lashkhia: “They were asking me about the village and then mentioned the Khvichias too. They wondered what kind of people they were and I answered they were from a decent family and they had attended the demonstration unpremeditatedly. The officials did make any threats against Khvishias. I have known Guram for many years; I taught him at college. I told him that he was recorded while being at the demonstration and asked how he ended up there.”

Fridon Antia denies his meeting with Lashkhia, the village governor, and stated in his conversation with the Human Rights Center that he had not spoken about Khvichias with anybody and he did not know them at all. However, he can easily discuss the mental problems of the Khvichias. “They are mad. Do not listen to them unless you want to go crazy as well. They are lying and I do not know them at all. Who are they?! I have not threatened anyone and what kind of list are you talking about? How can I find time for such matters?”

Fridon Antia does not have time for such matters, however on October 29, the day after the opposition demonstration, the members of the National Movement could find several hours in their schedule to watch the video-recording of the demonstration. The new governors of the district villages were invited to the show to recognize the people from their villages on the video-recording. As a result of the show, they drew up a so-called Black List of people who would be detained.

Eka Khvichia is not afraid of being detained; however she is worried about her brother. “My brother is 36 and he has three children under the age of 18. He is a man and it would be easier for law enforcement officials to provoke him. My brother does not work; in the past he worked for security service office “Artsivi”. He has never committed a crime. If it is a crime to attend a protest demonstration and express one’s opinion, then we are ready to go to prison.”

Nana Phazhava, Zugdidi


News