IDP Sisters to Be Expelled from the Renovated Accommodation

Manon Bokuchava, Kvemo Kartli

There are cement sacks and tools in the yard of four-storied residential house in Lomouri Street in Rustavi. “We should finish the renovation at the end of October; so we are working in a hurry,” the workers explained who thoroughly renovate the house. Every floor is being renovated. We hear children’s voices together with the building noise.

About four-year-old boy is playing under the wooden scaffold. His hair, clothes and shoes are all white. He introduced himself as Nika and said he lives in the building. Nika led us into the ground floor where rooms do not have floor and doors yet. Light-red curtain is replacing the door in the room where Nika’s mother and sister met us.

Monika Daraselia, IDP from Abkhazia: “I am a lonely mother from Abkhazia. I have two children Nikolozi and Nanuka. We have lived in many places since we fled from Abkhazia. We moved to Rustavi from Lilo settlement in Tbilisi; there we lived in the building of vocational college. My son got ill there because of poor conditions and now Nika has tuberculosis of lymphatic glands. Several times he almost died. Doctors saved him from death but each time, when we leave hospital, we have to continue living in the same unbearable conditions in our shelters.

“I have appealed to every institution in the country; I have even petitioned to the president. I explained my problems and urged them to shelter us in proper accommodation. In reply to my letters, the president’s administration wrote that my petition was forwarded to the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation. The ministry wrote same answers all the time – accommodation process of IDPs is underway.

“The IDP government of Abkhazia assisted me with 400 GEL. I am grateful to them because it was very important for me. We had just left the hospital when they gave me the money. I can also show a copy of a letter which they sent to the Ministry of Refugees and requested to assist me.”

Monika Daraselia has sent dozens of letters to various institutions; but Ministry of Refugees is the addressee of most of them.

“In 2010, because of poor conditions, I moved to Rustavi. My sister and her two children live in this building; they also are IDPs from Abkhazia. They have lived here for three years. This building was a private school but the leaser was sorry for us and allowed us to live here. Today, they are renovating the building and say other families from Abkhazia should live here. They will expel us under force if we resist them. My sister met the local representatives of the Ministry; the head of their local office Chkonia categorically refused her to stay in the building; he even insulted her. I wonder why my sister and I cannot live in this building?! Why should I stay in the street together with my sick child?! I do not know how to appeal to the international organizations for help. Georgian people are sitting in their local offices; they support the government and do not hope they would assist me,” said Monika Daraselia.

Her sister Zita Daraselia joined us. “My children slept on the desks during three years. Now, when they are renovating the building, we have to leave; but I cannot understand the reason. I am also IDP like they are. I can promise every journalist that I will not leave the building alive. If they kick my children out, and if I have to live like a beggar again, I will kill myself. Those, who do not care about our tragedy, shall be responsible for my behaviour.

Zita Daraselia has already attempted to commit suicide. “When she learned that we have to leave the building, she drank a lot of medicines and we had to call ambulance. They do not care about is, because nobody protects us,” said Monika Daraselia.

Monika Daraselia is registered in Lilo settlement together with her children. However, it cannot be reason for the ministry to refuse her to live in the Rustavi based building because part of IDPs, who are planned to live there after renovation, are not registered in Rustavi either.

“I can assure you that Monika Daraselia will not remain without shelter. Rustavi City Hall offers alternative accommodation to them; so she will not remain in the street,” said representative of the press-center of the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees.

Representatives of the Rustavi City Hall got surprised with the information; they cannot understand why the Ministry spread similar information and why should the local self-government accommodate the IDP family.

“The Rustavi City Hall has not promised anybody to accommodate in alternative space. This information is unexpected for us. How could we offer an accommodation to a citizen, who has not petitioned to us at all?! However, even if she had petitioned, we could not satisfy her request because it is not within our competence and we cannot offer anything,” said Marika Pirosmanashvili, head of press-center of the Rustavi City Hall.

The IDP sisters from Abkhazia have filed completely different petition to the Rustavi local self-government; they requested fire-wood for winter time. However, if the sisters have to leave the building at the end of October, they are more likely to set fire in the yard of the Ministry in winter.