IDPs Are Forced To Return Home

“How can I, a pregnant woman, protect the village?”

Nona Suvarian, Tbilisi

IDPs who returned to the village of Knolevi are not safely living there. Despite the danger, they are not being allowed to continue living in a safe place. Officials from the Ministry of the Refugees and Accommodation offered a choice to the IDPs: either they will return home or they will not be provided with  humanitarian aid at the buildings were they have been warehoused in the aftermath of the August Georgian-Russian war. 

Knolevi is a village that is located in the buffer zone. Ossetian and Russian soldiers are deployed in close proximity to it and it is basically surrounded. The village borders with Znauri district (Ossetian settlement). Gun-fire is often heard ringing out at nights and locals are afraid of the security situation. However, as villagers state they have nowhere else to go; they have actually been forced to return to the village with the threat of starvation as they have no money and can only live off of supplied food aid.

We initially met IDPs from Knolevi on November 4 at the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation. Then, they wanted to meet an official from the ministry. The IDPs told how they were forced to leave Rustavi Vocational College # 17 and return to their village. Women were afraid of returning. The earlier article about the story can be viewed on the following link: http://www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=article&id=3272&lang=en 

Vladimer Jugheli, the head of Kareli District Police Department, claimed that life in the village is really safe. Later, the official from the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation repeated the same in Rustavi. However, the same person previously stated that women could not return to the village because it was too dangerous for them. The officials from the ministry spoke about the need of returning to the village based on Lado Vardzelashvili’s information. He happens to be the regional governor for Shida Kartli. Nonetheless, IDP women from Knolevi told how gun-fire is often heard in the village.

Humanrights.ge soon contacted the Kareli district governor to check out the information. Levan Abashashvili, the governor, confirmed that the situation was not at all safe.  However, he meant not only Knolevi village but the entire territory close to the administrative boarder with the breakaway region of South Ossetia and he told how officials were fully aware of the situation. He added that compelling women to return to the village might prove to be a mistake.

Despite his early statement, Levan Abashashvili said IDPs must return to the village because houses would be empty and Ossetians will take them over. Locals had to reinforce the area to protect their property.  It must be pointed out that IDPs who were to return to the village consisted of 9 people and five of them being children.  

Humanrights.ge visited Knolevi. The local people tried to explain in what conditions they have to live in the village. Russian checkpoint is 70 meters away from the village. The waving Russian flag and soldiers are easily seen from the village. Ossetian band formations are deployed in the forests and other nearby villages.

“We are not protected. Russians are standing in front of us but nobody stands behind us for protecting.”

“They are continuously firing. I do not know where to hide. My house is destroyed.”

Mariam Totladze, a resident of Knolevi: “We are afraid and it is for the sake of the because of the children; I do not care about myself. But should something start here then where should I take them?! On his way home from school one boy heard gun-fire and fainted in the yard.”

Ledi Birtvelishvili, a resident of Knolevi: “They started shooting at 12:00 AM and lasted till 4:00 AM. My child became very upset and all the children are very much afraid; they can sometimes be heard screaming.  The first thing to do is for the situation to be calmed down and then we will bring them here. They tell me I have to protect the village; how can I, a pregnant woman, protect the village?!”

We arrived in the village together with the deputy district governor. The soldiers also knew about our trip so Georgian soldiers met us there together with local people. Villagers persuaded us that generally, Georgian soldiers are not staffing checkpoint. The soldiers did not comment on these statements.

Gia Guliashvili, soldier: “They are not shooting at us; they are just reminding us that they are here and they are standing ready. There is nothing to be afraid of but in the case of a pregnant woman, the problem is that in the case of need it will take the family one and half hour to get her to the doctor. Otherwise, we are here together with special emergency unit and observers who come here every day.”

Levan Abashashvili also explained to us the current situation. He said the situation has worsened between the Russians and Ossetians. Russians goes about seizing weapons from Ossetians and they have conflict from time-to-time for that very reason.  As for the village, Georgian soldiers are controlling the territory.

“If they enter the village, they will kill us all before we can manage to call you! We are not safe here!” cried out one of the villagers that caused astonishment of Levan Abashashvili.

“Wait a minute, what are you complaining about?! What do you mean, have we started this war?! If you want you can leave the village and go wherever you want. It is your land and you have to protect it. Your stomachs are full of food while our country faces a difficult situation. Anyway, why are you complaining? You are just urging the government: give me, give me… come to my office and you will see how many people are waiting for me from morning till evening,” shouted the deputy governor at the villager. However he added later that they can understand the fear of the locals.  “There will always be a dangerous situation until we have Russians in front of us. Even if they do not shoot, we will be afraid of them. We will not have 100% guarantee tomorrow and what about the day-after-tomorrow. The entire world is afraid of Russia and nobody can predict what the future holds. I would have never believed that Kareli would be bombed.”

Attacks on people, looting, kidnapping of people are still common in buffer zone. Several days ago, two law enforcers died as a result of the explosion near the village of Dvani in the Kareli district. Representatives of the Helsinki Committee and Human Rights Center also speak out about the level of violence in the district following a visit they made to the conflict zone.

“Ethnic cleansing continues in the buffer zone,” said Aage Borchgrevink, representative of Norwegian Helsinki Committee. “I was in the Georgian-Ossetian village of Disevi and personally witnessed the situation there. By our estimates, at least three quarters of the houses had been burned, suggesting a systematic and planned destruction of the entire settlement. We encountered houses that were still smoldering while we were visiting this village. The situation gave the impression that there was a systematic plan to punish Georgian people.”

It is evident that after similar information IDPs are afraid to go back home. However, they are forced to leave the buildings of compact residence in the following way; “If you want stay here but you will not receive food anymore.”  The government treated the issue of Knolevi residents in the same way. Only after active involvement of the Human Rights Center the IDPs from Knolevi the IDPs from Knolevi received food.

Deputy Public Defender cannot understand how a normal person can prefer living in kindergartens to living in his/her own house. Sopo Khorguani, the deputy public defender, pointed out that Ombudsman’s office also observed several facts when IDPs were forced to return home.

Sopo Khorguani: “Compulsion is not expressed by only dragging out of the building and pushing into the car. Person is oppressed when s/he is refused to get humanitarian aid in the shelter. An official from the ministry or the district administrative board visits the shelter and states: “You should not stay here; we do not care where you will go.” We observed similar facts when officials told the IDPs a bus was waiting for them outside and they had to go. Nobody asks IDPs whether they want to go or not. They should just get on the bus and go home.”

“Observers are in this zone for the purpose of maintaining the safety. De-mining activities have not been finished as yet. It is impossible to empty the whole territory from mines in such a short period of time. Human Rights High Commissionaire also stated that safety is not guaranteed in the area. Thus, I think IDPs should not have returned to those villages.”

“In addition, we met IDPs who are compactly warehoused in the building belonging to the Agricultural Academy. They managed to meet their MP and learned from him that they will be evicted from November 20. IDPs had many questions for the MP. They are supposed to be settled in Tserovani, (a village near Tbilisi were houses are built for IDPs from buffer zone). There are special rules of construction until a person settles in the newly-built house: the walls should be dry and that takes a while. There must also be a road, gas hookup and a supply of water supply, communication, etc. People should know which school they children will have to attend. It is difficult to find out what is real in the stories of the government and what myth is. They also say how IDPs who will receive additional displaced persons in their household will receive 5,000 GEL. However, some IDPs prefer to take the 5 000 GEL in cash and they will decide what to buy. Several families have already received a fridge, or TV set as humanitarian aid. Then they are promised to receive land plots but nobody knows where that land is and how it will be divided up and allocated. IDPs have plenty of questions that are not answered.”

Sopo Khorguani considers that IDPs should be more actively involved in the decision-making process relating to the kinds of issues that directly relate to their problems and immediate needs.