First Deportation Victim in Georgia

The number of people, who has become victims of tense relations between Russia and Georgia, has increased. The first victim of the deportation was Mr. Tengiz Togonidze. He died of heart attack on the tenth day of his detaintion in Damadedovo Airport's Police Department. The Markeliais were deported to Sochi from Moscow and they arrived in Zugdidi via Sukhumi. Apart many difficulties they met in Abkhazia, Ms. Nona Markelia left her father in Sukhumi and Abkhazians promise to release her father if they pay 1000 USD.

Mr. Tengiz Togonidze lived with his wife in St-Petersburg for four years. There he ran an auto-service work-shop and auto-store. Mr. Togonidze used to arrive in Georgia every year to take one-year-visa. He did not have permanent registration in Russian Federation. He took one-year-long visa this summer again and returned to Petersburg.

On October, 7 officials from Russian Immigration Service Department arrived at Mr. Togonidze's house and took him to the nearest police station. Only on the tenth day of his detention they decided to deport him and took him to Moscow airport together with other Georgians. Unfortunately, Mr. Togonidze died of heart attack as soon as they arrived at the airport.

On October, 17 Ms. Ema Kiria, Mr. Togonidze's wife and his eighty-year-old aunt learned about the fact on TV. Ms. E. Kiria categorically denies her husband to be ill with Asthma and states that he was healthy and heart attack was a result of the disaster by having lost everything which Mr. Togonidze had earned with his long and hard work. Mr. Togonidze's close relatives state the same.

Ms. Nana Togonidze (dead man's cousin) stated the following: "Tengizi was healthy, lively man. Tense situation between Russia and Georgia, his disregarding and inhuman treatment at the police station resulted into his death."

Mr. Davit Kacharava said: "His spirit was broken having lost everything he had earned. His dignity was trampled down."

Mr. Tengiz Togonidze was from Senaki and he had just become forty-eight.

Though a bit different, but tragic is the story of one deported Georgian family. In this particular case Russian Migration Service Department attended to Abkhazian refugees.

On October, 18 mother and daughter Nona and Nana Markelias arrived in Zugdidi via Enguri River Bridge. Their story was as follows: "We were deported to Sochi from Moscow because of being Abkhazian refugees. We traveled to Fsou from Sochi and there Abkhazians met us. They offered to accompany and defend us up to the Enguri Bridge for 15 thousand Russian rubles. We paid them beforehand. Arriving in Sukhumi they stopped us, later my daughter and I were allowed to go, but they detained my father. The woman who was among our escort said to us they demanded 1000 USD to release my father. Having no money I decided to take my child to safe place. We have sold everything today but we have not gathered one thousand dollars anyway. I do not know what will happen to my father-he might be either tortured or beaten there. I am not sure whether I will see him alive again,"-Ms. Markelia said.

Ms. Nona Markelia also points out that the Russian side had deported them via Abkhazia because they knew the Markelias did not have Abkhazian Passports and thus they would have problems there."

Currently Nona and Nana Markelias stay with their distant relative in Zugdidi and do not know how their future will be there, since here they have nothing. In Moscow they earned living by trading.

Nato Berulava, Zugdidi