Politically Motivated Persecutions in Akhmeta

Natia Danelishvili, Information Center of Kakheti

Persecution of the representatives of the Georgian Dream in Akhmeta district continues. This time, head of Akhmeta district administration’s supervision service fined Zakaria Kinkladze, head of the Georgian Dream’s Akhmeta office with 200 GEL under administrative law.

“On March 25, at about 8:00 pm Nukri Khashmelashvili, head of the district supervision service, Tengiz Ekvtimishvili, head of district cleaning service and Omar Marukashvili, head of the Akhmeta Information Center entered the Georgian Dream’s office with photo-camera. They asked who had left rubbish next to the rubbish bin in front of the office. I told them I had placed sacks of construction remains next to the rubbish bin because the rehabilitation works had not finished in the office yet and if there was any problem, I was ready to throw the rubbish away. They said I did not have right to throw the rubbish away because the dump belonged to them. Nukri Khashmelashvili started to draw up a protocol but then he changed his mind and they left the office. On the same evening, we placed the sacks and boxes inside the office yard. Next morning, I accidentally met Nukri Khashmelashvili near the office and reported to him that I had stored sacks inside the office yard. He replied that he was going to draw up a protocol on me after the weekend,” Zakaria Kinkladze told the ICK.

He added that on March 26, Nukri Khashmelashvili again visited the Georgian Dream’s office together with his two colleagues and handed a protocol of administration law violation to Zakaria Kinkladze. The document states: “On March 24, 2012, at 8:30 pm we discovered construction remains and rubbish near the administrative building of the Adgilmretsvi close to the Akhmeta agriculture market. We found out that Zakaria Kinkladze had left the rubbish to the place so he breached Article 146 -1 Part II of the Administrative Law.”

Zakaria Kinkladze: “After they left the protocol, I traveled around several streets in Akhmeta. I wondered what the situation was in other streets. I found sacks with construction remains next to rubbish bins in several places; I even found rubbish scattered directly next to rubbish bins but the supervision service had not fined other violators.”

ICK called Nukri Khashmelashvili, the head of Akhmeta district supervision service.

-Mr. Nukri, why did you fine only Zakaria Kinkladze when construction remains were scattered in other places too?

-Please call me later, I am at the meeting.

-Is it difficult for you to answer my question now?

-Of course, it is.

-When shall we call you back?

-Call me later (he cut off the line and did not answer our phone calls later).

Koba Maisuradze, Akhmeta district governor: “I do not know details of this case. I do not know what Zakaria Kinkladze claims but you cannot see rubbish in the streets in Akhmeta. It happened in the past, about 10-15 years ago but it does not happen now. You will not see rubbish in the street. Akhmeta is a clean town.”

We kindly remind you that Zakaria Kinkladze has already faced several problems for his political activities, particularly for the last few months.

On October 24, 2011 Zakaria Kinkladze spread statement in support of Bidzina Ivanishvili in the name of Initiative Group of Akhmeta residents. On the same evening, he was requested to leave leased commercial space in the center of Akhmeta town. Later, the owner compelled Kinkladze to leave the space and sued him at the Court for the breached lease contract. Next day, after he spread the abovementioned support statement his son, Levan Kinkladze was sacked from the Kakheti Coordination Center of Social Agency, where he worked as a specialist.

On March 11, his farm was burnt in Akhmeta. The fire destroyed two hectares of apple and half hectare of nut plantations and rabbit mini-farm.

On March 15, workers sent from Tbilisi to rehabilitate Akhmeta office of the Coalition Georgian Dream were expelled from the local family hostel.

On March 26, ICK reported that Police restricted distribution of Georgian Dream’s newspapers in Akhmeta. According to Zakaria Kinkladze, on Sundays, after Georgian Dream’s activists distribute newspapers in the market and surrounding area, police officers go and seize the newspapers from people.

Photo-reportage