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83 Year Old Pensioner In Front of Parliament Threatens to Kill Herself

April 18, 2006

83 Year Old Pensioner In Front of Parliament Threatens to Kill Herself

Kristine Ghviniashvili, a resident of the village of Ruisi in the Qareli region goes everyday to Tbilisi because she is not getting her pension. She hopes to get it by standing and crying in front of the parliament - but nobody is answering her pleas. She is severely disabled.

The only one who paid her any attention was a Human Rights Information and Documentation Center journalist. She had a stick in her hand and was beating it on the ground with frustration. We met the lady in front of the parliament building; she was crying and begging for help to everyone but in vain - none of the MPs paid her any attention. The women complained to us about her problems and asked us to help her.

Kristine Ghviniashvili told us: “In 1937 my father was shot. Since 2000 I should have been getting my father’s pension, which I still do not get. They asked for various documents and I bought everything. Later it was clear that none of these documents were necessary. The truth does exist, doesn’t it?  What do we need this government for? I’ve visited the Qareli local government office, court and Parliament. Nobody pays attention to me. Why do they torture me, a severely disabled person? I can’t come to Tbilisi everyday. Nobody helps me here. I cannot be a beggar. The only thing left for me is to set myself on fire here”    

Ms Kristine had all kinds of documents, which confirmed that she should get her father’s pension. She even had the decision of the court sentencing her father, Archil (Dimitri) Tsotsolishvili, to death for counterrevolutionary acts. According to a recent decision, the Qareli court gives her the right to the pension. The verdict number is 3/29 and date of the decision is February 7th 2005. 

If we look through the Georgian law, it defines the following issue. The law enforced on February 1st 1998 is called: “Considering Citizens as Victims of Repression and Repressed Social Protection”. According to this law, the families of those people who died in prison get different benefits. One of these benefits is a monthly pension. Financial support comes from the state budget.

The Human Rights Сenter contacted Qareli MP Badri Nenetashvili and the Deputy of the Gori Region, Teo Tlashadze. They wrote down the name of the lady and promised us they would help her. But the lady is not the only one in this condition. There are lot of people out there who can’t find the truth.

Eka Gulua

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